Love Is Blind
by Asha Childly
Summary: COMPLETE! SEQUEL TO WORDS LEFT UNSAID! Without Fang, Iggy's mind has been warped. There's only one person who can help him. But will their "therapy sessions" become something more? Rated for language mostly. Please read the prequel or you'll be so confued
1. Summary of Words Left Unsaid

**Kay, yea, I know. I cheated. I'm a liar. But tomorrow's my birthday, and I thought, why should I be the only one who gets something? So I decided to start posting as of tomorrow. This is just a summary I wrote for my friend. This is the official summary of Words Left Unsaid.**

**THIS IS A SEQUEL! READ WORDS LEFT UNSAID FIRST!**

**Or just read this summary. You should read Words Left Unsaid, cause if you don't, you'll be confused. But whatever. So, hold on to your shorts and tomorrow, the story will begin.

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After leaving the flock, Fang finds a girl who is both trustworthy and expendable, and chooses to live with her and her mother while he attempts to assist the kids of the world in saving the planet. After three years, the girl, Allison, convinces him that it's time to return to the flock. He agrees to leave and flies back to Colorado. He arrives late in the night and crawls through Max's unlocked window. To his surprise, instead of being angry, Max is glad to see him, if only for the moment. One thing leads to another...eighteen year old, hormone charged people...etc. By morning, pretty much everyone has figured out that he's back. Nudge and Angel are ecstatic to see him again. Gazzy gives no response. Iggy explodes and takes off. Fang chases after him, Iggy doesn't like him much, stays that way for a while, Max starts acting really strange. After much convincing, Max agrees to call her Mom. When Max explains what she's experiencing, Dr. Martinez packs up everything and heads for Colorado. They find out Max is pregnant. Dr. Martinez drags her back to Arizona, Iggy and Nudge in tow. Nothing happens for a while. Eventually, Fang becomes anxious to see Max again. Just as he was about to call and ask if he can join her in Arizona, they are attacked by copters and the house gets bombed. Fang grabs the kids and takes them both to Arizona. He sees Max again, who, at this point, is extremely hormonal. Again, nothing interesting happens again until Fang hears on the news that Jeb has been found dead in the destruction of the School. Fang is forced to investigate. Fang discovers that the real Jeb was killed, but a clone, with more evil intentions than the original Jeb. He gets him...taken care of. On his way back to Arizona, Fang receives a phone call from Nudge informing him that Max is in labour and he has to return immediately. He arrives at the office where a friend of Dr. M. agreed to deliver the baby. The have a boy who was "named" Little One, with intentions of allowing him to name himself later in life. Epilogue, Fang and Max get married, I cried full out, it was amazing. The end.


	2. Prologue

**Kay, so here's a little prologue for you. It's basically just how everything important that happened in Words Left Unsaid looked from Iggy's point of view. Enjoy, folks!**

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Prologue**

**Iggy**

_Fang's return_

My thoughts spun in an incoherent whirlpool, bringing with them a string of extremely unwanted raging emotions with them. Hearing his voice again, knowing that he had the balls to show up here again, after all the hell we'd gone through thanks to him, was enough to make my head want to explode. I squared my shoulders and looked at about where I thought he was, and said, "You bastard."

That was just before I ran out of the room and retreated to the sky, where I knew I could be alone to let all the emotions take their toll on me freely.

I stopped in a forest a couple miles from the house. I hoped no one would find me. I landed on a branch, hoping it was thick enough to hold my weight. I pulled my legs up to my chest, buried my face into my knees, and did the thing I'd been longing to do for three years;

I cried.

That's right. I, Iggy, sat in a tree and let all the emotions I'd been holding up inside me pour out in the form of hot tears. I couldn't hold them in any more.

I wanted to run away. To be away from all the hurt and pain for the rest of my life, however long that turned out to be. But that was the wrong decision. Unlike some, I knew when was a good time to abandon the flock and when wasn't.

The answer to that was that there was never a good time to abandon the flock.

Of course, my abandoning the flock wouldn't be the same as Fang leaving the flock. Fang was important to the flock. He was Max's rock that she held onto when things went horribly wrong. He was the guy leader. The one that Gazzy and I had always trusted. Without him, it was like we were missing a giant chunk of who each of us was.

I, on the other hand, wasn't important to the flock. In fact, I was more of a disadvantage than anything. I was blind. I didn't know if there was an evil guy coming to attack us. I couldn't see what I was hitting, and when I did connect with something, either someone had given me directions or I'd gotten lucky. The only thing I had that the others didn't was that I could actually cook. And if I left, someone would learn how to cook in my place.

So I guess when you really thought about it, it was better if I left the flock. But something in the back of my head was telling me that I couldn't do that. And unlike some people, I don't ignore a feeling like that.

Eight months at the Martinez house

After living in the Martinez household for a while, I was almost used to sleeping there. I could easily sleep out in the middle of nowhere anytime. But put me in an unfamiliar house, especially in my own room, and I couldn't sleep at all.

But I'd finally started to settle in. I had just fallen asleep into a good night's rest for the first time in months when there was a small tap on the door. I recognized Nudge's timid knock. I sat up and ran the heels of my hands across my face.

"C'm in," I said sleepily. Nudge walked into the room.

"Um, Iggy? We have a problem," she whispered. I stopped rubbing my face and pulled my eyebrows together.

"What kind of problem?" I asked slowly.

"A 'Fang's packing a bag in his room' kind of problem," she said. I got to my feet. That was a very bad kind of problem.

I got a hold of myself and said in the most authoritative voice I could, "Go back to bed, Nudge. I'll take care of it."

"Kay," she whispered and padded out of the room. As soon as I heard her door close, I stormed down the hallway. That guy was an idiot. I couldn't believe him. It was like he didn't even give a crap whether this flock was safe or comfortable.

Or maybe it was just me he didn't care about, because it seemed like every time I was even remotely close to forgiving him, he went and made some idiotic decision, like he was just trying to piss me off.

_After Little One's birth_

Nudge guided me down the hall, holding my hand tightly in hers and babbling her head—and my ears—off.

"Oh, my goodness!" she was saying. "You will not believe how cute his is! He's just so adorable. He looks so much like Max! He has the light hair and everything! But He's really sweet and you will absolutely _love_ him!"

"Thanks, but cuteness isn't really a big factor in my judgement of a person," I said. She stopped and opened a door, which she pulled me through. She dropped my hand and left me, lost and confused, standing in the doorway. I made my way over to the side of the room while Nudge continued to babble about how cute the baby was, only this time she was speaking to Max.

She stopped talking and I heard her leave the room.

"Iggy, do you want to hold him?" Max asked sweetly. I honestly didn't know the answer. I was afraid to hold him, because I was certain I would drop him or something awful like that. But that was the only way for me to get a remote sense of what he looked like. I walked toward Max and brought one hand down toward the small whimpering sound that was, no doubt, coming from the baby.

The second I touched it's soft head, a shock went through my hand and up my arm, like I'd stuck my finger in a light socket. I jumped away from the thing and gasped a sudden "No!" before running out of the room.

The whole way back to the room where the rest of the kids were waiting, I was thinking about the shock, trying to figure out what it meant.


	3. Chapter 1

**And so it begins. Heh heh heh. Like I said in the last chapter, I'm posting on my birthday. Yup. That's it. January 17th. I'm glad I even got some reviews on the last chapter (which wasn't _really_ a chapter, just a retelling of events) Still, I'm glad you people seem to be enjoying it (sort of). This chapter's better than the last. Promises.**

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Chapter One**

**Iggy**

I wanted to scream and let all my stress and confusion come with the sound. I wanted to get rid of all these feelings that I didn't understand. I wanted my old life, before Fang left and came back and got Max pregnant, back. I wanted to live like I had before all the messed up crap that was our current lives.

No, what I really wanted was to have a normal life like all the normal kids in the world.

But you can't always get what you want.

I sat on my bed and dropped my head into my hands. Why was everything in my life so messed up? I let out a groan.

"Iggy?" a voice said from my door. I was sure I had closed it!

"Get out of my room!" I snapped at Max, not caring about future consequences.

"I'm not leaving," she said flatly. "Not until you tell me what's bothering you."

"You're bothering me by not leaving me alone to suffer in peace," I told her.

"I've lived with the five of you for pretty much my whole life," she said. "I can fight this with you forever."

"Fine. But I'm not telling you," I said.

"Fine. But I'm not leaving," she mimicked.

She stood there in silence, and I'm pretty sure that she was glaring at me. Eventually, though, the silence was broken by a high-pitched cry. I could hear Max shift her weight nervously. When the crying didn't stop, she let out a harsh breath.

"Alright, you win this one. But don't think I won't be back!" she declared before hurrying out of the room. You could always count on a baby to interrupt its mother when she was supposedly doing something important. I smirked to myself.

More footsteps walked into my room, interrupting my inner gloating. They weren't Max's; they were too heavy.

"Ig," Fang said. "What's up?"

Damn. She'd called in the reinforcements.

"Nothing's up," I said coldly. "So why don't you go back to being the perfect father figure we both know you_ aren't_."

Fang let out a long breath through his nose. Yeah, I could tell. "What's you're deal, Iggy? Why are you being such a creep?" he said, each word dripping with anger to cover the hurt he felt underneath.

"What's my deal?" I said, letting out a humourless laugh. "Oh, that's rich. What's _my_ deal? What's _your_ deal? I mean, we never know when you're going to just take off again!" I was on my feet now. "You may not know what it's like to go to sleep and wonder whether or not a person's going to be there when you wake up, but I do! The younger kids do!" I paused and looked severely at where I thought Fang was. "Max does."

I hit home on that one. I could almost feel Fang's anger increasing from where I stood a few feet away. "You don't know what the hell you're talking about!" he shouted.

"I sure as hell do!" I said. "I know that you've messed up the whole flock's lives with you're stupid gallivanting!"

"That figures!" Fang scoffed. "You wouldn't understand what it means to have a responsibility to something other than yourself!"

"I have a responsibility to something other than myself," I protested, keeping my voice level. "I have a responsibility to the flock. You used to, too. What happened to that responsibility, Fang?"

Fang inhaled a sharp breath and I knew I was really getting to him. Which was good, considering that was my purpose. If I really got to him, he would leave me alone to let me figure things out by myself. That's all I really wanted.

"Fine, then," Fang said with finality. "Go back to your self-hateful moping." With that he left the room. I bit my tongue to keep from shouting a string of curses after him. I knew Max would be extremely pissed off if I did that.

I turned back to my bed and flopped down on it, thankful that I didn't miscalculate and fall flat on the floor. Before I really had a chance to cool off a bit, there was another knock on my door. Why couldn't these people take a hint!

"How many times do I have to tell you guys to stay the hell away from me?"

"Oh," came a small voice from the other side. "I-I'm sorry, Iggy. I didn't mean to bother you."

Ella?

Aw, crap.


	4. Chapter 2

**Yes! Chapter two! Just for what it's worth, this one's really good. You should totally review about it. Kay? Kay.**

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Chapter Two**

**Iggy**

I ran to the door before Ella could leave. I wrenched it open.

"Ella?" I said, unable to tell if she was still there.

"Yeah," she said softly. "I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to bother you. I'll just…go now."

I reached out and managed to grab Ella's arm, holding her in place. "Don't go," I pleaded. "I'm sorry. It's just that…Max and Fang have been pestering me, trying to figure out 'what's bothering me.' I just thought you were one of them."

"Oh," she said. "Okay. Well…" she shifted uncomfortably in my grip and I let go of her arm. "I just wanted to know if you wanted to help me with dinner."

I smiled internally. Maybe that was exactly what I needed to take away some of my stress.

"Alright, cool," I said.

"Really?" she asked disbelievingly. "You want to?"

"Yeah, sure," I agreed.

"Awesome!" Ella exclaimed, her excitement obvious in her voice. She headed off down the hall and I followed her footsteps.

"What are we making?" I asked when we reached the kitchen.

"Um…chicken, I think," she said. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"What kind of chicken?"

"I don't know. The dead and cooked kind?"

I sighed. "It's a good thing you called on me," I said, too low for her to hear. I clapped my hands together in a Down-To-Business way. "Okay. I'm going to need Cajun powder, lemon juice, and you to pay close attention."

Together, we dowsed the roast in lemon juice and sprinkled the Cajun powder all over it. Ella decided it needed pepper, so we added that, too. We put it in the oven and Ella sat on the floor in front of the oven and gave a running commentary on everything the chicken did for nearly two hours.

"How's it looking?" I asked her after two and a half hours.

"It's all goldeny," she said. "Is it done yet?"

"Yeah, probably."

Before you ask why it took so long for this to cook, and it wasn't burnt, keep in mind that we were feeding two people, along with six mutant bird kids who eat 3000 calories a day. This was a massive chicken.

"Okay. Should I take it out, then?" she asked. It took all my self-control not to hit myself in the forehead. I wasn't even sure if she could successfully make a pot of macaroni without burning it.

"Yes," I said finally, suppressing a sigh. "Yes, you should take it out." I wanted to remind her not to use her bare hands, but I was worried that might offend her.

Ella pulled open the oven and brought out the chicken. "Where do I put it?" she asked.

"Put it on the stove-top for now, I guess," I said. She put it down with a clang that made me cringe. She must have noticed, because she said, "Sorry. It burnt my hands a little bit."

My stomach flopped. "Were you using oven mitts?" I asked slowly. Ella clucked her tongue.

"Of course I was," she said bitterly. "I'm not stupid."

I bit my lip. "I didn't say you were," I said, trying not to sound too defensive.

"Okay, anyway, are we done now?" she asked. I laughed.

"Not even close. We need something to go with it," I said. "I've been cooking for the flock for years. They'll starve if we just give them this."

"Well, what else do we make, then?" she asked. I shrugged.

"I was thinking something along the lines of 'Massive Salad.' "

Ella walked over to the fridge and opened it. She dug around for a minute. "Well, we have a bunch of lettuce," she informed me.

"How much is a bunch?" I asked her.

"Um, a couple…um…" she broke off and was silent.

"A couple what?" I asked her.

"I just showed you," she said, frustrated. I bit down on my lip.

"I don't do 'showed' very well," I said.

"Oh!" she gasped. "Oh, jeez, I'm sorry."

"How much is a bunch?" I repeated, trying to change the subject. She sounded so embarrassed.

"Oh, about two…bunches," she said. "What do you call a whole thing of lettuce?"

"A head," I said.

"Oh. Okay," she said. "Then we have, like, two of those."

"Alright, that'll be good," I said. "Take them both out."

She pulled them out of the fridge and set them on the counter. I walked over to the counter. I took one in my hand, removed the wrapping, and felt it in my hands, turning it over and over until I found the bottom. Once I had the bottom positioned right, I slammed it down on the counter.

"What are you doing?" Ella gasped. I lifted the lettuce head, and, with a soft _thud,_ the core fell out. "Oh," Ella said as the core fell to the counter. "Nice one."

"Thanks," I gave her a dorky smile. It felt good to feel something other than rage for the first time in a while. "Do you want to get the other one?"

"Oh! Um, sure!" Ella said. She picked up the remaining lettuce head. The wrapping crinkled in her hand. She unwrapped it and held it still for a second.

"Problems?" I asked finally.

"Um, yeah, kind of," she confessed shyly. "I…um…forgot how to do it. Could you…um…help me?"

"Yeah, sure," I agreed. I stepped behind her, reaching around her shoulders and putting my hands on top of hers. A small shiver ran though her body and I pulled my arms away from her instantly.

"Sorry!" I gasped. "Did I—"

"No, you didn't do anything," she said, her voice little more than a whisper. I considered her answer for a minute, then, extremely slowly, I move my hands back to hers.

"Alright. So first you find the bottom," I instructed. She rotated the head until she found the core.

"Is this it?" she asked. She moved one of my hands to the place she had found.

"Y-yeah, that's the spot," I said. "Good job." I put my hands on top of hers again on the sides of the head. "Now, just put the lettuce so it faces downward." Ella turned the head. "And then just…" I grabbed tight on her hands and moved them down. The lettuce head slammed against the counter. She lifted the lettuce and the core fell to the counter. I moved my hands off of hers and onto her arms. "That's it."

Ella put the lettuce down on the counter and turned around to face me. My hands slid from her arms to her hands.

"Thanks for helping me," she whispered.

"You're…uh…welcome," I said. Ella stretched up on her toes and pecked my cheek. A rush of heat ran through my veins and into my face. Ella giggled softly and took one of my hands, moving it up to my cheek.

"You're blushing," she informed me. I bit my lip hard.

"Well," I said, clearing my throat and dropping Ella's soft, warm hands. "It…um…looks like you've got all this under control now." I took a few steps backward from her before racing out of the room. I ended up in my bedroom. I closed the door behind me and sat down on my bed. What the hell was happening to me?

"You _like_ her," a voice said from a corner of my room. I jumped.

"Holy crap, Angel!" I exclaimed. "You scared the shit out of me!"


	5. Chapter 3

**I don't know why, but for some reason, Ella makes me laugh my head off. Don't know why. I checked really hard for mistakes this time, so, Codebreaker, if you find one, then I really am a bad proofreader. Maybe I should start sending all my chapters to you.**

**Please enjoy, folks!**

**Oh, I haven't said this yet, so let's to that now.**

**I don't own Maximum Ride. My many attempts at winning it over have yet to succeed.**

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Chapter Three**

**Ella**

I watched the spot where Iggy had run off. I'd done something wrong, hadn't I? I'd just wanted to thank him for helping me make dinner, what with my non-existent cooking skills. I'd just kissed him. That was all.

"Hi, honey. How's dinner coming?" Mom asked. I didn't look away from the hallway.

"It's…um…coming," I said.

"It smells delicious," she said. She grabbed my shoulder and I automatically turned toward her. She had a sad smile on her face. "Is everything okay?"

I swallowed and forced a smile. "Yeah," I said softly. "Everything's great."

Mom smiled and patted my shoulder. "Good," she said. "Supper smells great. Do you need any help with anything?"

I bit my cheek. Hadn't I already had enough help? "Sure. You could help make the salad if you want," I decided.

"Alright," she agreed. She turned toward the counter and raised a dark eyebrow. "Two heads of lettuce?"

Was I the only person on the planet who hadn't know that a thing of lettuce was called a head?

"Yeah. Iggy said that we'd need lots," I said.

"This is true," Mom agreed. "Those kids must eat their weight in food every day."

I smiled, my muscles finally starting to relax a bit. I joined my mom at the counter and we assembled a salad that looked at the very least edible. We put the salad and the chicken on the table and called everyone to dinner.

"Wow! This is so good!" Gazzy said through large mouthfuls of food. I rolled my eyes. Boys.

"Yeah, it's amazing!" Max agreed through smaller mouthfuls.

"I didn't know you could cook, Ella," Nudge said.

"I can't really," I said. "Iggy helped me a lot." I paused and pursed my lips, looking around the table. Where was Iggy?"

"Has anyone seen Iggy?" I asked.

"He's in his room sulking," Fang said shortly. "On the other hand, I have no idea where Angel is."

"I haven't seen her in a while," Nudge said.

"She's probably pestering Iggy," Gazzy said. "She can be such a pain in the a—"

"Gazzy," Max warned.

"Arm," Gazzy revised. "I was gonna say 'arm.' "

Max nodded. "That's what I thought."

The rest of the meal was silent. Everyone was too busy eating. But I just picked at my plate. I suddenly wasn't hungry. I was too busy thinking. I couldn't imagine any of the flock missing a meal for anything. I must have really bothered Iggy.

When the meal was finished, I took my plate to the kitchen and left it on the counter. I was the last to leave. Max caught my arm on the way out.

"Are you okay?" she asked, Fang close at her side. "You seemed really distant during dinner."

"Yeah, I'm fine," I lied.

"Lies," she said, calling my bluff. "I can tell something's bugging you. And I refuse to leave you alone until you tell me what's up."

"Yeah, 'cause that worked so well with Iggy," Fang said. Max glared at him.

"You're not helping," she said. She turned back to me. "What's your problem?"

"I think that I did something to bother Iggy," I said. "I think that's why he didn't come to dinner."

Fang stepped up and put his hand on my arm. "It's not your fault. He's just been…difficult lately. You didn't do anything."

I blushed and bit down on my lip, trying to reduce the heat in my face. Max raised an eyebrow at me.

"Unless, of course, you _did_ do something that would bother him," she said. She gave me a look. "Did you?"

"I…I don't know. He seemed a little…flustered? Right after he helped me with dinner," I said, leaving out certain details.

"What happened?" Max asked.

"I kind of…sort of…kissed him?" I offered. Max's and Fang's eyebrows raised simultaneously. I pressed my lips together. "I just kissed his cheek! Don't look so shocked!" I exclaimed. Fang and Max looked at each other and grinned.

"Would you look at that," Max said. "Our Iggy has a crush!"

"Maybe that's why he's been so pissed off," Fang said. Max raised an eyebrow at him.

"Because he's experiencing emotions that he's never felt before?" she asked. Fang smirked.

"No, because he's into a girl he knows is way out of his league," he mocked. I pursed my lips.

"I think he's sweet," I said harshly. "He's just confused and hurt after all he's gone through. He needs the support of his family to recover, and you haven't been giving him that!"

Then I stormed out of the room.


	6. Chapter 4

**Home sick all day, forbidden from the computer until I was better. So little brain function I could hardly even upload the stupid docuument. Here you go, enjoy.**

**Seriously, still don't own MR. I promise that if I do, you will be the first to know.**

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Chapter Four**

**Iggy**

"Well, this has been a nice little chat," Angel said as I snatched her off the ground, carried her to the door, and tossed her into the hall. "I think we're really making progress!" she called as I slammed the door. Whenever I wanted to talk to someone, they ignored me. Whenever I wanted people to leave me alone, they broke into my room and wouldn't shut up and leave.

Did the whole world hate me?

Yes. Yes, it did.

Now that I was alone and could think clearly, my thoughts immediately turned to Ella. What had happened between us today? When I'd touched her, she'd shivered like a breeze had hit her.

That was a logical explanation, wasn't it? Maybe a breeze had just hit her and made her shiver. Yeah. That made sense. But the other thing that was bothering me had happened after that. The fact that she'd _kissed_ me. Sure, it had just been a simple peck on the cheek, but it had been so much more than a regular bedtime kiss or whatever. It had a higher meaning.

Had it had a higher meaning? Or was I reading way too much into it? Had she just been trying to express her appreciation for me helping her?

Either way, it still had made me all nervous and tongue-tied. And whether or not it meant something to her, it definitely meant something to me.

A small knock tapped against my door. "Iggy? Are you there?" came Ella's voice.

"Yeah," I muttered.

"Can I come in?" she asked. I paused. I wasn't sure how her coming in would affect my brain.

"Um…" I said, "yeah, I guess so."

The doorknob turned and Ella stepped into my room, closing the door behind her softly. "Wow, it's so dark in here," she noticed. "Do you just sit in the dark all day?"

I had to bite my lip to stop from lashing out at her, which I really didn't want to do. "Yeah, pretty much," I said through my gritted teeth. Ella inhaled sharply.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"I know," I interjected. She apologized so much.

"I'm sorry," she repeated. "I guess I'm just not used to your whole…um…blindness"

"It's okay," I said. She walked toward me and sat heavily on my bed.

"You just don't act blind, like, at all!" she said. "You know where everything is, you hardly ever bump into anything, you can even catch things, _and_ you can fly!"

"I only know where things are because people tell me where they are. I figure out the layout of a place after a little while. I can catch things because…actually I have no idea how I catch things. And it's not exactly like there's much to bump into when you're flying," I explained.

"Oh," Ella said, like I'd dampened her spirits. "I guess that makes sense." She paused, and it was silent in the room for a while. Then Ella spoke again. "I'm sorry if I bothered you earlier."

"You didn't really _bother _me," I said. "It's just that…I don't know. It's so screwed up right now."

"What do you mean?" she asked, and scooted closer to me.

"I don't know!" I repeated, dropping my head in my hands. "It's just so complicated. It's like…it's like ever since Fang left, I've been missing a part of me, and when Fang came back, it didn't come back with him."

"Oh," she said. "I'm sorry for trying to pry into your life"

"You apologize too much," I told her softly, lifting my head out of my hands but letting my chin flop down onto my chest. Ella shifted her weight forward.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," I lied. "Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"Because you're crying."

I turned my face away from her and wiped the back of my hand across it. Ella put her hand on top of mine on the bed.

"It's okay," she said. "Really. You need to get it out. That's why people go to therapy." She entwined her fingers with mine and squeezed them. "And I don't mind listening to you talk about things. It's kind of interesting. And it helps me get to know you better."

I sighed. Maybe she was right and I should just let everything I keep built up inside of me out.

Unfortunately that went against everything a guy was supposed to be; tough, reserved, emotionless, things like that.

"You don't have to pretend you're something you're not," she said, as if she were reading my thoughts. It was really unnerving.

I don't want to bore you with all the obviously thrilling details, so I'll just sum it up for you. I spent pretty much the rest of the night talking out everything I'd ever felt in my life. Ella listened intently, making comments occasionally. She came to the conclusion that I needed to talk to people more often, and that people cared about me more than I gave them credit for.

Ella yawned loudly and crossed her legs in front of her.

"What time is it?" I asked her.

"Um…11:35," she said.

"You should go to bed. You sound exhausted," I told her. "And don't you have to, like, go to school or something?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," she said. She slowly got to her feet. "Well, then, night, Iggy."

"Night, Ella," I replied. She walked out of my room and closed the door behind her. As soon as I couldn't hear her footsteps anymore, I curled up on my bed and fell asleep instantly. All that talking was completely exhausting.


	7. Chapter 5

**Kay, so I sort of forgot to post recently because I'm having a complete writers block. But don't worry, because I have lots of other pre-written chapters to give you until I get out of it! Now, while you read this one, I'll go post the next. Kay? Great. Ttyl!**

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Chapter Five**

**Ella**

Once I was out of Iggy's room, I allowed myself to yawn, long and strong. I didn't want him to think that I was bored by his talking, so I held it in. Unfortunately, at the end, one of them slipped out and he'd caught me.

I was walking back to my room, passing by Gazzy's bedroom, when a hand reached out and snatched my arm, pulling me into the room and closing the door. It was pitch black and I couldn't see anything.

"What are you doing?" I demanded. "I can't see anything!"

"I have a few questions for you, Ms. Martinez," a voice said. I squinted my eyes toward the voice.

"Gazzy? Is that you?"

"Never you mind who I am!" the voice shouted. "Now. I want to know what you're doing to Iggy."

I reached behind me and found a lamp switch. I flicked it on and Gazzy's arm shot up to his eyes, shielding them from the sudden light.

"I knew it was you!" I exclaimed victoriously. "What do you think you're doing? I refuse to be held hostage!"

Gazzy squinted at me. "I refuse to let you mess with my friend's head," he said. "What are you doing to Iggy?"

"_What?_" I asked incredulously. "I'm not doing anything to him! I'm trying to _help _him!"

"His head is messed up enough without your woman mind-tri—" he broke off as my words registered. "What? You're helping him?"

"Yes," I said. "Well, at least, I'm trying to." His words were the next to register in my head. "Wait, woman mind-tricks?" I asked. Gazzy shrugged. I started for the door. "I don't have time for you kid games right now. I have to go to bed."

Just as I put my hand on the door, Gazzy put his hand on my arm, keeping my from turning the knob. "Don't hurt him, okay?"

I looked into his eyes and saw concern. "You're really worried about him," I noted. Gazzy shrugged, looking embarrassed.

"He's in a dark place right now. He just needs to get out of it, without being pushed deeper into it." I smiled.

"I'll take good care of him. Okay?" I said. Gazzy nodded and released my arm. I stepped into the hallway. Kids were so weird.

I was so close to my room when another hand grabbed me and pulled me into a room. I was pushed onto a bed and a lamp clicked on. Max and Fang were standing over me, looking strict and suspicious. I threw my arms up and my head back in exasperation.

"Is _everyone_ going to abduct me tonight?" I demanded. Max raised an eyebrow.

"Someone else abducted you?" she asked.

"I just got away from Gazzy."

She turned to Fang and pouted. "I thought this whole 'abduction' thing was so original!" she said. Fang shrugged.

"I thought it was a good idea," he said. Max looked back at me.

"Anyway, we just wanted to know what you were doing so long with Iggy in his room," she said.

"We were just talking," I said honestly.

"A likely story," Max said. "What were you _really_ doing?"

"Talking!" I shrieked. "We were just talking! Seriously! Can I please just go to bed?"

Max looked at Fang, who shrugged, then looked back fiercely at me. "Fine. But we'll be keeping an eye on you."

I swiftly got to my feet. "Thank you," I said, walking haughtily out of the room. When I'd closed the door behind me and headed for my room, I thought of Little One. Poor kid was going to have it hard. I laughed, imagining his first date.

_*A short look at Ella's thoughts*_

_Max: "Where have you been?"_

_Little One: "I was out with Julia."_

_Max: "What were you doing with Julia?"_

_Little One: "We were just hanging out."_

_Max: "A likely story."_

_Little One: "It's true!"_

_Max: "Uh huh. Go to your room!"_

I walked into my room, flopped onto my bed, and slept like a rock until morning.


	8. Chapter 6

**Woah! This is way longer than my normal chapters! I hope you people like it. By the way, I love it when you review. I do this little dance of joy and stuff. Just so you know. It's really funny. So now you can send reviews and then laugh by imagining me doing an amazing happy dance. I do it all the time. It's very enjoyable.**

**Anyway, short attention span, please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own MR. I own Bl—Little One, though, so no steals. Kay? Thanks.**

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Chapter Six**

**Iggy**

That was essentially how my life went from then on. Ella got home from school, we talked, and then we made dinner. Dinner was the only meal we were both present for. She was at school for lunch, and if she expected me to be up at six-thirty in the morning to make breakfast, she was insane. I was barely up for lunch.

That's where we were at just then. We were making dinner in the kitchen. I tried to widen Ella's recipe horizons. She was a quick learner, and when she worked at it, she was also a good cook.

"Then you mix the veggies, noodles, ham, and sauce," I told her as she poured them all into the large pan. "And that's it!"

"This is the most noodle-salad-whatever I've ever seen at once," she said, staring at the concoction we'd created. "We should try doing pot-lucks."

"Maybe," I said. "But Max can't even boil water, and no one else has ever really tried, so I don't know how well that would work out."

Ella laughed, and the sound sent shivers through me. It was the most beautiful laugh I'd ever heard. I let the sound echo around in my head well after it had stopped.

"Iggy!" Ella shouted, snapping her fingers. I shook my head.

"Huh?" I said brilliantly.

"I was just saying that maybe we should serve this up," she said, and I assumed she was repeating herself.

"Yeah, sure," I said. "Good idea."

She divided the Noodle-Salad-Whatever into dishes and I helped her bring them out to the table. We hardly even had to call the flock anymore. They could smell the food from wherever they were. Ella and I sat down.

"So, Ella," Dr. Martinez said. "How was school?"

"It was super weird!" she said. "We dissected a frog, and it was SO gross! I wanted to puke!"

"Ew, that is so gross," Nudge agreed.

"If by gross you mean totally awesome!" Gazzy put in excitedly.

"It doesn't really make a big difference to me whether the frog is right-side-in or inside-out. Looks about the same to me," I said.

"I think we did that at that school in Virginia, didn't we?" Fang remembered. He added as an afterthought, "I think Lissa was my partner for that one."

"Oh, was that before or after you did that little 'chemistry' experiment with her, too?" Max said bitterly.

"You had to bring up Lissa, didn't you?" I muttered at Fang.

"This is good," Nudge said finally, breaking the tension. "I mean, I've had this a lot, but this one is my favourite time. It's, like, so delicious I could eat it forever!"

"Thanks, Nudge," Ella said.

"I mean, Iggy's food was good, but ever since you started cooking with him, it's, like, _really_ good!"

It was my turn to say, "Thanks, Nudge." Only much less honestly.

Nudge kept talking through the whole meal. It was almost like she didn't even have to breathe. She just went on and on. But I wasn't thinking about her. I wasn't thinking about the flock, I wasn't even thinking about Ella. My mind was hundreds of miles away and about four years ago, back at the school in Virginia. They were on the girl I'd met there. I could hardly remember her name anymore. All I remembered of her was that she'd been in my class, sitting eight feet away and due Northeast.

And that she'd been the first person outside of the flock who'd showed me kindness without ulterior motives.

_Tess!_ I thought suddenly. _That was her name._

I left the dining room with everyone else and we dumped our dishes in the sink. Then we dispersed about the house to do whatever we did after meals. Nudge usually went to her room and flipped through magazines. Angel, Gazzy, and, Ella usually watched TV. Fang and Max went off and did God-was-the-only-one-who-wanted-to-know-what.

Leaving me with a little Iggy-Alone-Time.

I spent this time in my room, probably in the dark unless someone had switched on my light. Either way, I'd probably never know until the bulb heated up and started buzzing. Sometimes I listened to books, sometimes I just let my mind wander. Ella told me that was a good thing, because it helped solve problems.

Tonight was a little different, though. I'd gotten into my room, as per usual, but I was followed by soft footsteps—obviously someone trying to be stealthy. I turned on them just as I reached my doorway.

"What do you want, Ella?" I asked. The words normally would have sounded harsh, but my voice was calm, even a little curious.

"I want to talk to you," she said. I walked into the room and let her follow me.

"We already talked earlier," I said.

"I know," she said. "But I wanted to talk more."

I sat down on my bed and pulled my legs up. She did the same, sitting directly across from me. "Okay, what do you want to talk about?"

"You weren't talking during dinner," she noted. "Why weren't you talking?"

"Because I was eating," I said.

"Liar," she accused.

"Fine. I was thinking about something," I said evasively.

"Thinking about what?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"I was thinking about a girl I met at the school in Virginia," I confessed. I could sense Ella's deflation at my words.

"Oh," she said softly. "Did you…_like_ her?"

"She was nice," I said. "I wasn't in love with her or anything. She was just sort of…notable."

Ella muttered something I didn't quite hear.

"Sorry?" I said, not sure whether or not she'd actually repeat herself.

Ella surprised me by answering. "I bet she was prettier than me, wasn't she?" Her words were loud and slightly choked, and she'd caught me off guard.

"I-I don't know," I said. "I'm not exactly sure what she looked like."

"Oh, right," Ella said. The room was completely quiet, and the awkwardness was almost tangible in the air.

But Ella's words had triggered something in my brain. I didn't know even remotely what she looked like. And I was hit by a longing to know.

"Ella?" I said, so softly I wasn't sure she'd heard me.

"Yes?" she said, equally quietly.

"I…" I trailed off, considering my words carefully. What if she thought I was a creepy pervert and never wanted to see my again?

"Yes?" Ella repeated, urging me to continue.

"Can…can I…" There wasn't really a non-weird way to say it, so I sighed and prepared for the consequences. "Can I touch you?"


	9. Chapter 7

**Aw. This one is very short. I'm sorry, you guys. Very sorry. But, I actually sort of got out of my spot and finished the chapter! I guess it was just the spot I was at. I didn't know where to go with it. But now I know what I'm doing. Though I'm almost out of ideas! I was thinking Eraser attack, but they're all dead. I'll think of something. But your suggestions would be appreciated if you think of anything good.**

**P.S. There WILL be a threequel (shut up. It's a word ):[) And it will be about Little One and basically what the flock does as they become more independent and whatnot. Just wanted to let you guys know. OH! AND I KNOW LITTLE ONE'S FUTURE NAME AND YOU DON'T! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Sorry. 2 cupcakes, a bowl of icing, and cheesecake can mess up your brain. Epic birthday party.**

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Chapter Seven**

**Ella**

I stared at Iggy, completely confused. "What?" I said, kind of freaked out by the strange request.

"Not in a weird way!" he said immediately. "I just…I want to 'see' you."

I paused. My heart churned in my chest. I felt like an idiot for reacting the way I had. I shouldn't have been so weirded out. Iggy wouldn't try to defile or violate or rape me or something like that.

"See me?" I asked calmly. He nodded.

"Yeah. See, I can feel colours, so if I touched you…I could sort of…see you?" he said, finishing like he was unsure of what he was saying.

"Um…" I paused again. "I guess you could…do that, yeah."

Iggy's face brightened, like he hadn't expected me to agree. Slowly, unsurely, Iggy brought his hand toward me. First, his hands moved to my dark, straight hair, which he took in his hands. He smiled.

"You're hair's really dark," he noted. I nodded.

"It's black, yep," I said. He moved his hands to my face, running his hands all over my olive-ish skin. He ran his fingers back and forth over my cheekbones.

"You have seven freckles," he said. I raised my eyebrows and put my hands on my cheeks.

"I do?" I gasped. Iggy smiled.

"You didn't know?" he asked. I shook my head no. "I think they're ado—nice."

His hands moved from my cheeks to my lips. "You're lips are really red, like cherries or something." He moved his fingers back up my face, tracing them around my eyes. "I don't want to stick my fingers into your eyes, so why don't you just tell me what colour they are."

I thought about it carefully, not wanting to hold back any details. "Um, they're green, like olives, and they have little golden-ish specks." I paused and thought hard. "Nine in my left eye and thirteen in my right."

"You pay really close attention to your eyes," he said.

"I like them."

Iggy smiled. "Me, too."

"I should go to sleep," I said finally, checking my watch. Iggy nodded. After he'd finished checking out my face—he'd stopped there, not wanting to make it awkward or anything—we'd just started talking about anything and everything that came to mind. I was really getting pleased with Iggy's progress lately. He smiled in front of people now, and he'd actually had a civil conversation with Fang earlier that day.

"That's a good idea," Iggy said. "I'm pretty tired, too." He looked me virtually in the eyes. "Not that you need beauty sleep."

I smiled. He was so sweet. "Kay, night," I said. He smiled, too.

"Night."

I stepped into the hallway, shutting the door behind me. I didn't turn on the light. I didn't mind the dark much when I was with Iggy. As I'd expected, I was stopped in the hallway.

"How'd it go?" Max asked me. I shrugged.

"It was fine," I said honestly. Max looked at me suspiciously.

"What happened?"

I paused. I wasn't sure if I should tell. Iggy 'touching' me had seemed like a sort of private thing. Max watched me expectantly and impatiently.

"I'm not going to just stand here and wait forever," she said. "Spill."

I bit my lip and shifted my weight uncomfortably. "Nothing overly interesting," I lied finally.

"You liar," she said. "You're hiding something. I'm going to get to the bottom of it, whether you're the one who tells me or not."

"Fine," I said, turning on my heel and heading for my room.

"Fine!" Max called after me.


	10. Chapter 8

**This is a Max chappie. I like it, and I hope you people do, too. Not much to say. My mouth hurts from eating a frosty really really fast. Pricking fingers with lancets for the love of science, so don't expect me to do much typing today.**

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Chapter Eight**

**Max**

Once I'd finished glaring after Ella in the hall, I turned back into my room, shut the door, and stared at Fang, who was stretched out on the bed. He looked up at me and, when I said nothing, he sighed.

"What's the matter?" he said tiredly.

I pursed my lips. "They're doing something behind our backs!" I exclaimed. Fang shook his head and closed his eyes.

"They're allowed," he said. "Iggy's, like, almost twenty now. He's not a little kid. And Ella's probably seventeen, at least. Plus she already has a mom to take care of her, so she doesn't need you chewing her out every time she leaves his room."

"But what if something serious happens?" I protested.

"Then they'll deal with it themselves."

I'd started to pace, and I could tell from Fang's expression that he was doing his best to not yell back at me. "But…what if they make a mistake?" I said finally, stressed beyond a normal point.

"Then they'll deal with it themselves," Fang repeated. "We made mistakes, and we dealt with them. They turned out just fine, didn't they?"

I glanced over at where Little One was sleeping in his crib and smiled to myself. "I guess, yeah," I agreed. Then I shook my head, clearing all my thoughts. "But that's not the same. What if they make the same mistakes? Iggy and Ella are not ready to handle that!"

Fang sighed and stood up, realizing that just throwing words back at me was a waste of time. He walked over to me, wrapped his arms around me, and nuzzled his nose into my neck.

"You're worrying too much," Fang said. "What if there's nothing between them at all and your just jumping to conclusions. Maybe Ella's telling the truth and you're looking too far into it."

I broke out of his arms and put my hands on my hips, glaring at him. "She so isn't telling the truth," I said certainly. "She's lying, and I can tell."

"So go talk to Iggy," Fang decided.

"Fine, I will!" I said. I stormed out the door and down the hall to Iggy's room. I suddenly got a headache right in my temples.

_It's not polite to pry, Max, _said The Voice. I rolled my eyes.

"I haven't heard from you in, like, _years_ and now you finally decide that this is a good time to chat?" I asked it, exasperated.

_Think about what you're doing,_ The Voice continued. _Is it really a good plan?_

I thought. It seemed like a fine idea to me. I knocked hard against the door.

"What do you want, Max?" Iggy said from the other side.

"I want to talk to you," I said.

"So talk," Iggy said. I pressed my lips together. That arrogant pain in the butt. I stepped into the dark room and closed the door behind me. Iggy never turned the lights on.

"I said talk, not come in," Iggy said sourly.

"And I said talk, not yell," I countered.

"What do you want?" he said, frustration obvious in his voice.

"I want to know what you and Ella were doing just a minute ago," I said simply. Iggy stiffened.

"Nothing," he said, lying as badly as Ella had.

"What really happened?" I pressed further. Iggy got to his feet and, with freaky accuracy, pointed his finger directly between my eyes.

"None of your business, okay?" he exploded. He turned and took a few steps away from me, running both his hand through his hair. "Why does everyone keep prying into my life? Can't I just hang out with Ella without having everyone know exactly what happens between us every second we're together?"

My eyes were wide with shock. I didn't know what to say. I guess I had been prying in his life. "But I just wanted to…protect you," I mumbled. Iggy glared at me.

"I don't need protection from Ella," he said sharply. "And I'm not going to talk about it with you, so you might as well just get the hell out of my room."

I stared at him, but my feet moved toward the door. I left and moved down the hall, robotically, until I was back in my room. Fang didn't even look up when I came in.

"Well," he said. "That sounded like it went well."


	11. Chapter 9

**Hoooly! This one is _long_! Before I started typing it was 1,835 words! :O So I hope you guys like it, and please review.**

**But only if you want to.**

**Don't own MR. Wish I did. I will continue to torment the characters as I please.**

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Chapter Nine**

**Iggy**

After Max's little "visit" I couldn't sleep. I hated how she thought that just because she was "flock leader," she could just pry into everybody's business. What had happened between Ella and I tonight had was just that; between us. It didn't concern her, and she didn't need to know, no matter how much she _wanted_ to know.

I managed to pull my thoughts away from Max, but was still stuck on what had happened between Ella and I. I'd touched her for the first _real_ time. I'd discovered what she looked like, vaguely. And she was the prettiest girl I'd ever felt. I was surprised that she'd been upset by the mention of another girl in my life. I'd tried to excuse it as just a self-confidence issue, but something inside me told me otherwise.

She was _jealous._

But, of course, that was completely ridiculous. She had no reason to be jealous. First, because there hadn't been anything between Tess and I, only that she'd been a nice person. And second, we weren't even together, so she shouldn't be jealous.

But maybe she'd been upset because she _wanted_ us to be together.

Again, that was ridiculous. Why would she want to be with me? I was blind. I'd never be able to tell her she was beautiful. I'd never be able to go on any good dates with her. My only real skills were that I could cook and blow stuff up. The first is nice, but the latter isn't exactly attractive.

_Maybe she just likes you for you,_ something in the back of my mind said, and I briefly hoped that I wasn't developing a voice like Max's. I rolled my eyes at the thought. What was there about me to like? I was pretty sure I'd just covered everything a minute ago.

I was so tired I could hardly think, but I was still too pissed off to sleep. I wanted to just hit my head against the wall until my ears bled so I could stop thinking so hard. Life was so much easier when I didn't have to think about it as much. If only I could talk to Ella. It was so easy for me to just let down my walls around her and let everything I hid unleash itself.

But I couldn't do that. Ella was asleep. I wouldn't wake her up in hope that it would ease my mind enough to achieve what I'd taken away from her. And frankly, the Bang-My-Head-Against-The-Wall-Until-I-Pass-Out option was looking really good right now.

I woke up on the floor, cold and uncomfortable, but I was used to that. I also had a really bad headache. I must have been really out of it last night, because obviously I wasn't thinking logically. I had actually hit my head against the wall until I'd passed out. I was just getting up and wondering why nobody had noticed when I heard something from behind me. Someone was in my bed.

I touched the wall first, feeling around for things I knew would be there if it were really my room. There was the possibility that someone wasn't in my bed, but that I was in they're room. But I found several things in the room, including a stack of audio books and a magazine that Gazzy and I had been looking at a few days ago, which proved that it was, in fact, mine.

So the fact remained that someone was sleeping in my bed. I walked over to my bed listened to the person. I couldn't tell who it was still. I reached down and, as gently as I could, touched the person's head. Their hair would probably tell me who it was.

But the second I touched them, they shot upright and screamed. I jumped backward a few feet and yelled, too.

When the yelling stopped I said, "Ella?"

"Iggy?" she said back.

"What the hell are you doing in my room?" I demanded.

_Why Ella was in Iggy's room_

_Ella, just barely asleep, woke to the sound of pounding against a wall a few doors down. Slowly, she got out of bed, walked to the door, and peeked her head out, looking up and down the hall. There was no one in sight. She followed the sound down the hall until she reached Iggy's room. At that point the sound had mysteriously stopped. Extremely slowly and cautiously, she turned the doorknob and stepped into the room, flicking on the light. Iggy was on the floor, unconscious. There was a large, purple bruise on his forehead. Ella threw a hand over her mouth to stifle her gasp. She ran from the room, down the hall, and knocked on the door of the only person that she knew would know what to do._

"_Fang! Fang! Fang!" she squeaked as she knocked impatiently. Fang came to the door, looked tired and irritated that she'd woken him up._

"_What do you want?" he asked._

_Ella could feel the tears in her eyes as she said, "It's Iggy!"_

_Fang seemed to wake up at her words. He followed her down the hall. When they reached his room, Ella could feel her knees shaking._

"_What's wrong with him?" she asked nervously. Fang was crouched beside Iggy._

"_He was knocked out," he said certainly._

"_By what?"_

"_I don't know."_

_Ella bit her lip, eyes wide with fear. "Do you think something broke in and knocked him out?" She said something because it was hard to say whether whatever was after the flock was a some_one_ or a some_thing_._

"_I don't think so. You would have heard it," Fang said._

"_I heard thumping," Ella supplied. Fang's eyes flicked up to the wall above them, then back to Iggy's forehead. Ella copied his gaze. Her eyebrows went up. "You think he—"_

"_He might have. I don't know why he would, but he might have," Fang confirmed. Ella's mouth was wide with shock._

"_That's awful!" she shrieked. "Why would he knock himself out?"_

"_I don't know," Fang repeated as he got to his feet. "I wouldn't worry about it. I'm going back to bed. I suggest you do the same._

_Ella nodded weakly. "I think I'll stay here." Fang shrugged._

"_Fine by me."_

_On that note, he left the room. Ella shuffled over to Iggy's bed and grabbed a pillow off of it. With extreme care, she slid it under his injured head, then went back to his bed and curled up on top of it._

When Ella finished telling her story, I stared at her with confusion.

"You stayed here because you wanted to watch me?"

"No," Ella said quickly. "I stayed here because I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Whatever," I said, resisting the urge to say that they were essentially the same thing. "Why didn't you just wake me up?"

"Because you were unconscious!" Ella said, as if the answer should have been obvious. "You can't wake up an unconscious person! It can't be done!"

"Okay, whatever," I said. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for school or something?"

"Oh! Yes! Thanks!" she said. She hurried out of the room. I left the room in the direction of the bathroom when I bumped into something solid. It bounced back about a foot. "I forgot to mention, you should probably take these." She dropped two little tablets in my hands. "They'll help your head."

"Are you dressed already?" I asked.

"Uh, yeah, why? How long does it take you to get dressed?"

"Never mind," I said, walking around her and heading for the kitchen instead. I grabbed a glass out of the cupboard and filled it with water. Something in the back of my mind said, _You shouldn't take pills from some random person._

I brushed that thought away. "Ella's not 'some random person.' She's my friend," I said quietly to myself. "And she wouldn't try to poison me."

I dropped the tablets in my mouth, drank some water, and swallowed it all. I put my hand gently on my forehead. It was purple and gross. I still couldn't believe that I'd been stupid enough to knock myself unconscious.

"How's your head?" Fang asked from behind me. I tensed.

"Fine," I said through my teeth.

"You shouldn't beat yourself senseless against walls," Fang said. "You'll get brain damage or something like that."

I grabbed an icepack out of the freezer and held it to my forehead. "Are you just going to sit there and inform me of how stupid I am, or are you actually going to do something?"

"Something like what?" Fang asked.

"I don't know, toss me one of those apples?" I suggested. I heard the footsteps that matched Max's enter the kitchen at the same time that I heard the whiz of the fruit flying toward me. I snatched the fruit, but was forced to drop the icepack in order to do so.

"Morning, boys, how's it—HOLY CRAP, IGGY!" Max said. "What the hell happened to your face?"

"He had a nasty encounter with a wall last night," Fang answered. I glared at him.

"What did it do, fall on top of you?" Max said incredulously. "It looks more like you got hit in the face with a sledgehammer!"

I was tired of Fang talking for me, but I wasn't about to tell Max that I'd slammed my head against a wall until I passed out. She'd think I was insane. She'd probably lock me away in a foam room for the rest of my miserable, empty life.

"It's just a bruise," I said, biting my apple.

"Just a bruise?" she said dubiously. "That's one hell of a 'just a bruise!' "

"It doesn't matter!" I shouted. "Stop gawking at my face and just do whatever you came in here to do!"

Though my pain had stopped for a minute before, my head was throbbing now. I wanted to be able to talk to Ella. She made my life so much easier. I really liked her.

As a friend. Just as a friend.

"What are you thinking about?" Max asked me suspiciously. I shook my head.

"Nothing," I said. "Just…nothing."

"He's thinking about his girlfriend, Ella," Angel said, entering the room. I glared at her.

_You little bitch,_ I thought at her.

"Max! Iggy called me a name with his mind!" she shrieked.

"Iggy, don't call Angel names with your mind. It's mean," Max said carelessly. "Angel, don't tattle. It's annoying."

"Your _girlfriend,_ Ella?" Fang repeated, emphasizing the word "girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend," I hissed.

"Then why did you touch her?" Angel asked, pressing my patience.

"Shut up, you ninny!" I shouted at her. She laughed bitterly.

"What is this? The sixteenth century?" she asked.

"Would you rather that I called you what I did before?" I asked. She was silent, so I took that as a no. I turned my back on them and started an actual breakfast.

**

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For the lucky few who stuck around, you get this fun little…I don't know what to call it. A game, I guess. But try it. It's fun.**

**The Vietnamese know all!**

**Go on Google Translate and type "Will Justin Bieber ever hit puberty?" and translate it from English to Vietnamese. Then, copy the Vietnamese phrase and reverse-translate.**

**Nuff said.**

**I seriously laughed so hard when I did this.**

**Thank you.**


	12. Chapter 10

**Sorry I haven't been updating. I'm a very forgetful person Anyway, here you go. I'm probably going to update slower now, since I've got so much school work to do at this current time. Sorry :'(**

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Chapter Ten**

**Ella**

My day started out normal, after I woke up screaming my head off with Iggy and his gigantic, ugly, bruised forehead standing over me. I'd walked to school and gone to all my morning classes, starting with English, then art. I headed for my locker to put away my books. That was where my BFF, Kali, found me.

"Hey, babe," she said. She had her black, curly hair pulled back behind her ears with dozens of bobby pins and her milk chocolate skin was glowing, just like always. I smiled at her.

"Hey, Kali, how's it going?" I asked. She idly looked at her gold-painted nails.

"Nothing much, nothing much," she said. She looked up at me with a sly grin. "How's it going with your secret boyfriend?"

I closed my locker and bit my lip. "He's not my boyfriend," I told her. "He's just a genuinely nice guy with some issues, okay?"

"Okay, okay," she agreed. "Then how's it going with your Genuinely-Nice-Guy-With-Some-Issues?"

I looked away from her. "Okay," I said, and started walking down the hall for the cafeteria for lunch. Kali walked a half a step behind me.

"Ella? What happened?" she asked, concern filling her voice.

"I'm…I'm worried he's turning…self-destructive," I said slowly.

"Why?" Kali asked. "What'd he do?" She paused and leaned in close to my ear. "Is he _cutting_?"

I shook my head fervently. "No! He's not _cutting_! He just knocked himself unconscious."

"Right, cause that's so much better," Kali said sarcastically. "How'd he do that?"

"He slammed his head against a wall over and over until he passed out."

"Shit, Ella, that's not good," Kali said. "You need to have another one of your therapy sessions with him."

"I know," I said on a sigh. I pouted slightly. "We were doing so well, too."

"You can't fix everyone, Ella," she said. "I think your crazy half-sister and her boyfriend—"

"Husband," I corrected. "They got married a couple months ago."

"Whatever," Kali said dismissively. "I think they're starting to mess up your head."

"Just because they work for a good cause doesn't make them head-messer-uppers," I said defensively as we entered the crowded cafeteria. We grabbed a spot in line and loaded our trays with whatever it was that these people called food. Usually it just looked worse than it was.

"I'm just saying, maybe you should think about helping yourself out before you go and help everyone else," Kali said. I looked up at her.

"What do you mean?" I asked. "I don't need any help."

Kali said nothing as we paid for our food and headed out to the courtyard. I grabbed our usual spot under the big oak and we sat down.

"Um, Ella?" Kali said quietly. I looked over at her.

"Yeah?"

"You know those guys?"

I looked around. "What guys?"

Kali lifted a perfectly-manicured finger. "The ones that look like they wanna eat you for lunch."

I looked up from my tray to see three guys standing by the fence. They were so muscly that it distorted they're shape from human to creature. The worst part was that I _did_ know them. They were the same guys I'd come across, like, four or five years ago. The most muscly guy was Bullet, and, as usual, he was flanked by his two minions or whatever, who went by Ace and Killer. You could tell just by their names that they were bad news. They'd wanted to beat me up and "Teach me a lesson." But then Max had flown in and saved my butt.

Bullet lifted one hand pointed at his eyes, then at me in a sort of "I'm watching you" motion. I was nearly shaking with fear. They were back. And they weren't going to leave it at "Teaching me a lesson" this time.

Kali waved a hand in front of my face, breaking me out of my fearful thoughts. "Ella? Are you okay? You're all pale and stuff."

I shook my head, clearing my mind. "I'm fine. Let's eat inside today."

**

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Hello! Please I need your help, if just this once. I only have one question for you, lovely readers.**

**If Ella had a superpower, what would it be?**

**Something like what the flock has, like how Angel can read minds, and Fang can "disappear," as it were. Something like that.**

**Thanks, people!**


	13. Chapter 11

**Heyo! Lots of homework, slave-driving parents, new chapters come slowly. Sorry. Promise a new one tomorrow, too, though.**

**Don't own MR yada yada yada.**

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Chapter Eleven**

**Ella**

I tried to go on with my day as if nothing had happened and Bullet and his gang weren't probably going to kill me the second I was alone. I went to the rest of my classes as per usual, answered questions, trying to be my usual all-around good student.

But at the end of the day when it was time to go home, I grabbed Kali and dragged her out front where we stood in front of the front doors. I pulled out my phone, dialling the numbers mindlessly. The voice that answered was like music to my ears.

"Hello?" Fang said. I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding.

"Fang! Thank God. Um, can you pick me up at school?"

"Um, sure," Fang said. I grinned.

"Thanks so much. I'll be right out front."

"Kay, bye."

"Bye!"

I clicked the end button and slid the phone back in my pocket, then looked up at Kali.

"You're gonna wait with me, right?" I asked. Kali looked at me suspiciously.

"Is this about those guys we saw earlier?" she asked. I shook my head fervently.

"No! No way. That's crazy!" I said, adding a breathy laugh. Kali obviously wasn't buying it. She knew me way to well to fall for it. But she didn't say anything more about it.

"So who's gonna pick you up?" she asked.

"Max's husband," I said. That sounded really weird, even when I said it.

"Crazy dark and mysterious guy?" Kali asked. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, that's him," I said. "He's not that mysterious, really. Or dark."

"Whatever. He's damn fine, though," she said. I rolled my eyes at her.

"He's married, remember?"

Kali grinned. "Doesn't mean he isn't still damn fine."

"Ew. Just ew," I said.

"You're just saying that because he's related to you. If he weren't you'd be all over him, too." She raised one eyebrow at me. "Or would you be still be too busy fixing up Mr. Genuinely-Nice-Guy-With-Some-Issues?"

"Just because you're more worried about your nails than other people…" I said, not feeling the need to finish the sentence. She gave me an appalled look.

"That is so not true!" she gasped. "I'm totally worried about other people!"

Just then, Fang stepped onto the parking lot and I hurried over to him.

"Later, Kali!" I called. When I reached Fang he gave me a suspicious look.

"Why am I here?" he asked as we started walking. I bit down on my lip and tried not to blush.

"I like the company?" I offered. He shook his head.

"Definitely not," he said. "What's up?"

"Okay," I said slowly. "Did Max ever tell you what happened when I first met her?"

"How those three guys were gonna kick your ass and then she swooped in and saved you?" Fang asked. I nodded.

"Yeah. Well, those three guys are…becoming a problem," I said carefully. Fang looked at me.

"They're after you again?" he asked, sounding concerned all of a sudden.

"Um, yeah, kind of," I confessed. "I guess they never got what they wanted because Max showed up last time."

"So they want to beat you up specifically?" he asked, disgust tainting his words. "That's so sick."

"I don't think they just want to beat me up this time," I said. "They're all weirdly muscly, like they've started steroids and stuff. And their eyes were all bloodshot and they looked like total crap."

"That doesn't really surprise me. These guys are creeps. Why not just throw drugs in the mix with their list of offences?"

"But I think that they want me alone," I said. "That way they'll get what they want. And I think that what they want involves a little more than just beating me up."

"They're going to _kill_ you?" Fang asked, sounding completely revolted. I shook my head no.

"I think they want…_more_ from me."

"What? You think they're going to rape you?" I nodded and felt hot tears run down my cheeks.

"I think so," I said, my voice choked with the tears. Fang stopped so I stopped with him. He wiped the tears off of my face.

"We're not going to let that happen, okay?" he assured me. "They may want you out of the picture, but _we_ want you in."

He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and squeezed it. "It'll be okay."

I sniffed. "Promise?"

Fang half-smiled and squeezed me again. "Promise."


	14. Chapter 12

**Yay! This one's long, too! Please enjoy it. I will post as frequently as humanly possible.**

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Chapter Twelve**

**Iggy**

I'd been surprised when the phone rang, and even more surprised when Fang said that he was going to pick up Ella from school. She'd asked _him_ to pick her up? Why not me? What was wrong with me picking her up?

"Dude, you have a massive bruise on your head. If she was so freaked out about walking home by herself, then she wouldn't want damaged goods," Angel said.

"Why are you so annoying?" I asked her.

" 'Cause it annoys you," she said. I could almost see the smug grin on her face. That twerp.

"Angel, don't be annoying just for the sake of being annoying," Max called from down the hall. I copied Angel's grin.

"You heard the boss," I said. That was when the door opened.

"Ella?" I called. I heard footsteps come into the kitchen.

"Hi, Iggy," she said. "How's it going?"

"Fine," I said. "You?"

"Okay," she said. Her words made me suspicious that she wasn't telling the whole truth. As was the routine, Ella and I headed to my room for her therapy session.

As we sat on my bed, I said, "I think we should mix things up and talk about you today."

"No," Ella said. "I really think we need to talk about you."

It was obvious that she was staring at my bruise.

"That's not important," I said. "It has nothing to do with you, if that's what you're wondering."

"Then what does it have to do with?" she asked.

"Max," I said quickly. "And I couldn't sleep."

"So you knocked yourself unconscious!" she exclaimed. I rolled my eyes.

"At least I didn't drug myself," I said. "It's really not a big deal. I was too tired to think straight and it's in the past so let's not worry about it. What we should talk about is what's up with you."

"It's nothing," she said evasively. "You don't have to worry about it."

"Liar. Why did you call Fang and get him to walk you home?" I continued to press. Ella flopped back on the bed.

"Why do you care so much?" she demanded. I could feel anger boiling my blood so much that I didn't think at all before I answered.

"Because I care about you!" I shouted. All sound stopped in the room.

"You care about me?" Ella whispered finally. I looked away from her.

"Yeah, you're a good person, and I care about you," I said. "Like a friend."

It wasn't a total lie, she was a good person and I did care about her.

"So what's really wrong?" I asked, trying to sound calm. She let out a deep sigh.

"I think I may be in trouble," she confessed. "I didn't want to worry you because you shouldn't have to fight my battles for me."

I suddenly had a flashback (theoretically) of Fang when he'd come back. He'd told Max that he didn't want us to have to fight his battles.

"The flock won't go for that, you know," I said. "We don't do the whole 'fight your own battles' thing. We're more of a 'face it as a family' kind of group. And you're our family."

"I can't be your family," Ella said.

"You're Max's half-sister, and her family is our family," I said. "So you're our family by default."

"But if I was your family then it'd be weird if I did this," she said. I was about to ask what this was when suddenly Ella's lips were against mine. The shock in my head cleared and all I felt was Ella. Ella kissing me.

Not really a bad feeling.

I kissed her back and she climbed into my lap. I put my hand on the back of her head, holding her to me. She was so soft, and her kiss mirrored that softness. Obviously, I wasn't going to go any farther than where we already were.

Even if I'd wanted to go farther, I didn't get a chance to because my door opened and I heard Angel squeal. Ella jumped off of me and I got right to my feet.

"I told you she was his girlfriend," Angel said smugly. Nudge snickered beside her. Damn, I hated sisters.

I sucked in a breath through my nose and said, "You guys are so dead!" before chasing after them down the hall. They squealed with girlish delight for getting on my nerves as I ran after them. Max stopped us when both girls ran directly into her.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" she demanded. The girls snickered and I gave them warning looks.

"Iggy and Ella were making out in the dark," Angel said. I glared at her. I was going to kill that little she-demon. Max surprised me with her reply.

"Angel, don't walk in on closed doors. It's bad enough that you pry into people's thoughts." Then she added to Nudge, "You shouldn't go alone with her evil plots if you want to live."

The girls hurried off and I was left to face Max by myself.

"You were making out with Ella in the dark?" she asked. I gave her a look that said "Does it really make a difference whether it was dark or light for me?"

"Yeah, I was," I said. "I'm allowed, aren't I?"

"Yes, you're allowed," she agreed, ignoring the bitterness in my tone. I could feel my simmering blood cooling down a bit. "You didn't…"

"Hell, no!" I exclaimed. "No way! She's only, like, seventeen!"

"Right. Okay, sorry," Max said awkwardly. I almost smiled. Almost.

"Please don't tell her mom. She doesn't need two moms all over her," I begged.

"I won't," she agreed. I could almost hear the silent _yet_ that went through her mind.

"Kay, cool," I said as I turned around to go back to my room. I didn't want to keep Ella waiting. That was, provided she hadn't already left. I walked into my room and closed the door behind me.

"Ella?" I whispered.

"Yes?" she whispered back.

"Kay, good, I thought you might have left," I said, feeling a little lighter.

"Iggy, you're so hot! I want to have super raging sex with you!" she breathed. I stood there in shock. What the hell? That wasn't like Ella. It was like it was her voice, but not actually her…

"Dammit, Gazzy! Get out of my room!" I shouted. He snickered from my bed.

"I can't believe you fell for it!" he said between gasps. "You're so gullible!"

"You suck!" I said. "God, I can't believe you would stoop as low as deceiving a blind person!"

Gazzy sobered a bit and caught his breath. "You kissed Ella?" he demanded finally. I shrugged.

"Yeah, so?" I said nonchalantly.

"So? Dude! You finally got her!" he exclaimed. "Good job!"

I sensed his hand flying at me and slapped it.

"I guess it is kind of an accomplishment," I agreed. I tried to remember the last time that Gazzy and I had talked like this. I couldn't really.

"So are you guys gonna…" Gazzy trailed off and I waited.

When he said nothing, I finally prompted, "What?"

"You know, like, be like Fang and Max?"

"You mean all family-like? I don't know," I said. "Honestly, I haven't really thought past the fact that I just wanna kiss her again."

"You should, then," he said. "Sorry for tricking you. It was too good an opportunity to pass up."

"I'll get you back. You won't know when or where or how, but I'll get you," I promised.

"Kay, whatever, man," Gazzy said walking out of the room. God I was so going to get him bad for that. I totally got why Max hated it when we did it to her in the past. It's frigging annoying and really embarrassing.


	15. Chapter 13

**So I was reading this to myself, since that how I proofread (Don't do it in front of people. They give you funny looks.) and I got to the end and I was like, "This is where I ended the chapter! 8O I'm evil!" So essentially I'm torturing you. ;D**

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**Chapter Thirteen**

**Ella**

I was pretty sure I'd never been so embarrassed in my life. I totally got why everyone hates little sisters, even though Nudge was about the same age as me. They liked to barge in on private things. I also couldn't believe that I'd actually kissed Iggy. I might have believed it if he'd kissed me, but _I'd_ kissed _him_. I wanted to scream my joy at the remaining feeling of happiness it had given me.

I wanted to do it again.

I _didn't_ want my mom to find out.

It was coming close to six and Iggy and I had yet to prepare any food for the hungry flock of bird-people. I hurried back to Iggy's room and knocked frantically on the door.

"Iggy!" I shouted. "We need to make food!"

The door swung open. "You're right," Iggy said, standing in the doorway and looking like I'd just given him some huge revelation.

We went back to the kitchen and, since we were very low on time before the flock would die from starvation, dumped a bunch of cans of spaghetti into one giant bowl which we stuck in the microwave. Iggy smiled proudly.

"Another crisis averted," he said. I grinned. He was so…awesome. It took me a minute to realize that I was just standing there drooling over him. I mentally slapped myself across the face.

"Yep!" I said with a sheepish laugh. "You-we're cleaver like that."

Iggy gave me a funny look, but didn't say anything. Instead he leaned against the counter, crossed his arms, and angled his head down at the floor.

"Thanks," he said finally. I looked up at him.

"For what?"

"For everything," he said cryptically. "For helping me up when I thought I was just going to be angry and spiteful for the rest of my life. You're a really good person, Ella."

I blushed and looked down at my feet. "You're a good person, too," I said. "You just were in a…a bad place for a while."

Iggy stepped toward me and cupped my face in his hand. My heart beat was racing at a mile a minute. "You brought me out of that place," he said.

"N-not r-really," I stuttered as my tongue and my lips failed to get out any coherent words. I was under his spell, beyond hope of recovery.

"Yeah, really," he said, running his hand down my cheek.

"I-I don't th-think so," I said.

"You're the best things that happened to me," he said, and, leaving no space for my rebuttal, he bent down and kissed me. I moulded to his body and let the passionate kiss completely enslave me.

He grabbed my waist and lifted me onto the counter so he could reach my mouth better, since I was so ridiculously short compared to him. My legs wrapped around his waist, holding him in place. The microwave beeped but we ignored it, too immersed in each other to care.

"Are you planning to feed us or—What the hell!" Max exclaimed walking into the kitchen. Iggy jumped away from me and I hopped off the counter.

"Um, yeah, dinner's…like, ready," I said lamely.

"God, get a room or something," Max said, walking out of the kitchen. "Seriously."

I looked nervously down at my feet. "Well, we should probably serve dinner now," I said. Iggy nodded.

"Yeah, good idea."

We were quiet while we set the table and put the pathetic excuse of a meal in front of each setting.

"You're a really good kisser," I said finally, breaking the silence. Iggy seemed to stiffen slightly.

"What?"

"You're a…really good kisser," I repeated, more nervously. "I really like…being close to you."

"I really like being close to you, too," Iggy said quietly.

"Yay! Food!" Angel cheered as she walked into the dining room. I jumped and looked guilty as Iggy mirrored my actions.

"What's up with you two?" Nudge asked as she entered the room. "You look like the cats that ate the canary."

"Or the lovebirds caught sucking face," Fang jeered. I blushed.

"What is this?" Gazzy asked staring down at the food with wide, repulsed eyes.

"It's spaghetti," I said, adding a silent "Sort of," in my mind.

Gazzy seemed to get over his repulsion because he sucked up the spaghetti stuff like he hadn't eaten in weeks. I knew he had, though, because I'd been feeding him.

Dinner was as uneventful as ever. We mostly ate in silence since the flock scarfed down food so fast that there was no time for talking. When everyone had finished, we brought our plates out to the sink. The flock dispersed to do whatever, and Iggy and I headed back to his room.

"S-sorry I'm so awkward," I said. "I just…you're just…"

Iggy put a finger on my lips. "Don't worry about it. It's cool. Just…relax."


	16. Chapter 14

**Aww! I cried so hard when I was reading this chapter! TT_TT I love every single review I get (Even the flames are good), so I would love for you guys to tell me what you think!**

**Don't own MR. I swear to tell you the second I do.**

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**Chapter Fourteen**

**Iggy**

I wrapped my arms around Ella's slight body. Her muscles loosened as she started to relax a bit. "Tell me why you thinking you're in trouble," I said. As soon as I'd said it, her muscles tightened again.

"There are some guys," she said slowly. "They want to…_violate_ me. I'm just a little concerned. That's all."

"_What?_" I exclaimed, stepping away from her. "There are guys who are trying to rape you?"

"They're not trying," Ella said, too calmly. "Yet. They just want to."

What was wrong with her? Why was she so calm? This was definitely not a "Calm" thing.

"Ella," I said, trying to get it through to her head. "Three druggies are going to rape you! This is honestly not a time to be completely calm!"

"It's really not a big deal," she said nonchalantly, but I thought I picked up a crack in her voice.

"Um, yeah," I said. "It really kind of is."

"Max saved me last time," she said stubbornly. "She'll save me again."

"From what you've told me, these guys are a lot bigger and meaner than they were last time," I said. "This could be a whole flock kind of job."

"No way!" Ella exclaimed. "I already told you this! I'm not getting the flock involved in this!"

"Well, you already told Fang, right? And he's not just going to sit around and watch this happen," I said. "Max will find out and she'll want in, and I definitely am not going to let those crackheads hurt you. Eventually Nudge, Angel, and Gazzy will get in, and there you have it. The whole flock's kicking ass."

The room was silent for a minute, and then, out of nowhere, choked sobs filled the air around me, and Ella collapsed against me, sobbing hard against my shoulder.

"I'm r-really scared, Iggy," she gasped. "I just didn't want to w-worry you, because I-I don't want you to get…hurt! You already h-have that…bruise on your…head!"

I rubbed Ella's back to calm her down, just between her shoulder blades. "It's okay," I lied, trying to calm her a little bit.

"I thought they'd finally gone away and were out of my life, but they're not!" she wailed. "They were just getting ...bigger...and meaner...and...I'm so scared, Iggy!"

"It's okay. You'll be okay. We'll take care of you," I soothed. She was like a kitten in a thunderstorm, only more hysterical. I hated to see her upset the way she was.

"I didn't want to seem afraid," she sobbed. "I didn't want you to think I was afraid. I didn't...want you to get...involved."

"Just because I can't see doesn't mean I can't take care of myself _and_ other people!" I said defensively, and instantly regretted it. Ella sat up.

"Sorry," she said.

"No, I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say. I didn't mean to."

"It's okay, you're right," she whispered.

"No, I'm not," I disagreed. "Were you implying that you didn't want me involved because I couldn't see? No. But I jumped to that conclusion. So I'm the one who's wrong."

"O-okay," she agreed finally. She curled back up against me. "I'm really scared about this," she said. "I seriously think that they're going to rape me and that would be, like, so terrible. I'd probably go all, like, self-destructive and anorexic and die or something."

She started to cry again and I had no idea what to do. I'd never had a crying woman in my arms. I'm sure Fang had. He'd been good at pissing Max off while she was pregnant.

"I don't want you to get hurt," she said, pulling me away from my thoughts. "I care about you, too, Iggy. And I think that…maybe, I might be…in love with you."

I stared (theoretically) at her. She was _in love_ with me?

"Um…thanks," was all I managed to say.

**A/N. Okay. Let's get this over with right now. I know all you Eggy fans are probably all like, "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS YOU CRAZY USELESS PIECE OF MUD!" Let me explain. Actually, I won't explain. You can just keep reading and find out for yourself.**

Ella shifted in my arms and I guessed that she was looking up at my face.

"Thanks?" she said. I scrambled for something to say that would pull us away from the topic.

"Um, so when do you think these guys are planning to…_violate_ you?" Wow. Violate was a lot easier to say than rape.

"Oh, uh, I don't know," she said and started crying again. I couldn't figure out where she kept all that moisture. "I think that they want me alone, though."

"So, you won't be alone. Problem solved," I said. Ella shook her head on my shoulder.

"I don't think it's that simple," she said. "I mean, I can't be with someone 24/7. I have to be alone sometimes, like, when I go to the bathroom…"

"I seriously doubt they're going to break into the bathroom," I said. That was just really creepy.

"Or when I'm in the halls at school."

"Stay with a group of kids. You'll be fine."

"Or when I'm sleeping…"

I grabbed her chin and pulled her face up to mine. "Stay with me."

"Okay," she whispered. She leaned forward, closing the space between us, and her lips touch mine, forming a huge explosion of sensation that spread through my body. It was the greatest feeling I'd ever had.

"I love you," she said, and all that sensation stopped short, like everything in my body had come to a halt.

I couldn't say that I loved her back. I wanted to, but I couldn't. Because I didn't know if it was true.

**A/N: Aha! There we go.**

I loved being with her. I wanted to be with her for my whole life. But I'd never loved anyone before. Not _really _love anyone. I didn't know if what I felt for her was love or just like. I didn't want to tell her I loved her, because if it wasn't true, I couldn't break her heart like that.


	17. Chapter 15

**Another freaking snowday. Projects out the wazoo and I have this really nasty cold which sucks I hate being sick. But you healthy readers enjoy this next chapter here. If you're not healthy, I hope you get better.**

**This chapter is for Elise The Amazing, so that she can survive another day. ;D Thanks for the awesome review.**

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Chapter Fifteen**

**Ella**

I didn't understand why Iggy refused to tell me that he loved me back. It kind of bothered me. I didn't mention it, but it really did. Was it because, like I'd thought in the past, he really didn't love me and I was just jumping to hopeful conclusions?

Or maybe it was something deeper. Something I didn't understand.

"We should probably rest. It's really late," he decided. I bit my lip. It was really late. Almost midnight, actually.

"Yeah, I guess so," I agreed.

"Do you…still want to stay here?" he said unsurely.

"Yeah," I said. "I do."

He lied down on his bed and I reluctantly curled up beside him. He wrapped his arms protectively around me. They were gentle, but strong, despite his slenderness. I thought to myself, _I could die here and be perfectly happy._ And I could. Just here, in Iggy's arms, forever.

"I'll never let anything or anyone hurt you," he whispered in my ear.

I fell asleep like that, right there in his arms.

When I woke up, Iggy wasn't beside me. His arms weren't holding me anymore. I opened my eyes and looked around the room.

"You're awake," he noted. My eyes were quickly drawn to him. He was standing across the room from me, wearing only a pair of jeans that hung loosely around his hips, his toned chest completely exposed. I could feel my heart fluttering a mile a minute in my chest.

"Um, yeah," I said, sitting up. I realized that I'd slept in my clothes.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked. I shrugged.

"Not bad," I said. "You?"

"Fine."

I looked over at the clock. It was 8:06. "Oh, my gosh!" I exclaimed. "I'm going to be late for school!"

I jumped to my feet and ran out of the room to change. I threw off my old clothes and put on another pair without even really paying attention to what I was choosing. It didn't look too bad, so I continued to the bathroom where I brushed my hair and teeth as quickly as I could. When I looked acceptable, I hurried into the kitchen. Iggy was already there.

"Here," he said, putting a bowl of cereal on the island. At least he had a shirt on now and I could think clearly enough to form a sentence. He looked amused. I watched him.

"What's so funny?" I asked, my mouth half full of cereal.

"Nothing," he said. "You get ready really fast."

"I can if I'm in a hurry," I said. I checked the clock again. It was only 8:08. I couldn't believe I'd gotten ready in two minutes.

"I'll walk you to school today," he decided.

"Why?" I asked. He smirked arrogantly.

"Because I'm the only person who'll be awake for at least another hour."

I smiled. "Okay."

By the time I'd finished my cereal and gotten all my school things together, it was 8:15.

"Kay, let's go," I said, slipping on my shoes and slinging my backpack over one shoulder. Iggy followed me out the door.

"How far is it to your school?" he asked.

"About ten minutes," I said, shrugging. "It's not that far."

We walked the rest of the way talking about whatever we wanted to. Well, really, I did most of the talking. I talked about art class, English class, science class, gym class, and every other class I was in or had been in, until we got to the school parking lot. Kali was waiting for me by her Mercedes Benz that her parents had bought for her on her sixteenth birthday, what with their ridiculous amounts of money. I waved at her and dragged Iggy over there.

"Hi, Kali!" I said when we reached her. She looked sceptically at Iggy.

"Who's that?"

"Kali, this is Iggy. Iggy, Kali."

Iggy waved haphazardly.

Kali looked at me. "Is this the same Iggy as the Genuinely-Nice-Guy-With-Some-Issues Iggy?" she whispered. Iggy pursed his lips.

"I can hear you, you know," he said.

"Thanks for walking me to school, Iggy. You can go home now if you want," I said. He froze. I watched him, trying to figure out what he was thinking. "Something wrong?" I asked finally.

"No, nothing," he said. "You go ahead."

Just then, the bell rang.

"Alright, um, I'll see you later, right?" I said. He nodded.

"Sure," he said. Kali and I hurried inside.

* * *

**Kay, so there's this little thing that's been bothering me, and maybe you guys could help me out? So, I really like Iggy and Ella, and I have this thing where at the end of my stories, usually _someone_ gets married and starts a family. The only thing is, I don't know if that would work with Eggy. It would just be really...weird. I don't know. The whole Iggy-Getting-Ella-Pregnant thought is just kinda twisted. But I know that if that did happen, then it would for sure be a boy and Ella would totally name him James, since that's Iggy's "name." I've known that since I was half-way through Words Left Unsaid.**

**So, anyway, thoughts? Your opinion is always appreciated. **


	18. Chapter 16

**Oh, my God. I can't believe we had another snow day. This is completely ridiculous! XD Enjoy this chapter. Possibly more to come later today.**

**

* * *

Chapter Sixteen**

**Iggy**

I was screwed.

I had been so busy thinking about how to be all hero for Ella that I hadn't thought about how I was going to get back.

Of course, I'm not totally stupid. I'd been counting steps and directions all the way to the school, so I _vaguely_ knew my way back. I turned around exactly a hundred and eighty degrees and started my path backward.

The first thing I did was run into another person.

"Oh, shit, sorry," I said. The person, obviously a guy, touched one of my shoulders.

"S'okay, man," he said nicely. His voice was husky and tough, but his words were gentle and genuinely kind. "You should watch where you're going."

I was about to make a snide remark, then realized that I didn't even know this guy. "I can't," I said finally, trying to keep the bitterness out of my tone. "I'm blind."

"Woah, really? No wonder you seem so lost," the guy said.

"Yeah, I kind of have no idea where I'm going," I said.

"Yikes. That sucks, bro. I wish I could help you," he said.

I shrugged. He couldn't really help me. I could always just wait here until Ella got back out again. That's when a thought occurred to me. "Shouldn't you be in school?" I asked the guy. He laughed.

"Naw, I don't go in for another hour. I start later since I don't have any classes until 9:30," he said.

"Oh," I said, feeling totally stupid. There was no way I could walk back now. I'd totally forgotten the directions.

"Hey, maybe I could help you get back to wherever you're going."

This guy was seriously weirding me out. "I don't know. Do you know where Ella Martinez lives?"

"Ella? Oh yeah!" he said. "She's an awesome girl. I know where she lives. I can take you there no problem." He was quiet and I imagined him looking me over. "You live with her?"

"Um, yeah, kind of," I said.

"Well, alright. I'll get you back there, sure thing." The guy put a hand on my back and guided me across the asphalt. Then he opened the door of a car and I reluctantly climbed inside. He closed the door for me and opened the one next to me, climbing into the driver's seat.

As he started up the car, which I realized was a huge Chevy truck, he asked me, "How'd you get blind, anyway?"

I paused uncomfortably. What was I supposed to say to him? "Oh, I lost it when some evil scientists tried making them better. Didn't really work out all that well." Yeah, right.

I didn't have to say anything to this goon. I didn't even know him. He was just some nosy, overly helpful guy. "I just did a long time ago," I said, trying to drop the subject.

"Okay, I get it, don't want to talk about it. Whatever," the guy said. "Now that you're in my car, I might as well ask your name."

I debated internally about giving this guy my real name. It's not like he could track me or anything. "Iggy," I said finally.

"Mine's Phil. Short for Phillip. My parents hated me, I know," he said, laughing softly. "Your name's cool, though. Lucky. But I guess we can't pick our names. You just get stuck with them for the rest of your life."

I "looked" at him like he was an insane person. Then I realized that regular people didn't get to pick out their names.

"So, you're living with Ella and Dr. Martinez?" he asked. I nodded.

"Yeah, I have been for, like, two years."

"I don't see you at school. Where do you go?"

I bit my lip. "My older sister homeschools us," I said. Max didn't do that anymore. She'd given up on that after a little while.

"Us?" Phil repeated.

"Yeah, my two younger sisters and brother, and even her husband for a little bit." I realized that we'd stopped.

"Okay, here we are!" Phil announced with grandeur. I unfastened my seatbelt and opened the door. "Can you get to the house okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," I said through clenched teeth. I hopped out of the car. "Thanks for the ride."

I shut the monster door and walked up the pathway to the house, where I opened the door and stepped inside.

"Hell! Iggy! You scared the crap out of me! Where have you been?" Max asked the second my foot hit the floor. It was almost scary how she did that.

"I was walking Ella to school," I said simply, walking by her toward my room.

"For an _hour_?" she demanded. I shrugged carelessly.

"I got lost. I'm fine."

"Who's truck is out front?" Nudge asked from the window. I knew that everyone was watching me expectantly.

"This guy Phil found me looking lost and pathetic and drove me back here, okay?" I exclaimed. "Jeez, you'd think a guy couldn't get a ride around here."

"Phil?" Gazzy repeated. "What's he like."

"I don't know, he's just an obnoxious, overly helpful, really nice guy," I said really nice guy almost fondly. I enjoyed meeting genuinely nice people with no ulterior motives.

"Sounds to me like Iggy has a little boyfriend!" Gazzy crooned.

"Ugh! You people suck," I said, walking out of the room, down the hall, and to my bedroom. It was all their fault I was so screwed up.

"Iggy?" came Angel's voice from behind my door.

"What do you want?" I demanded.

"We're sorry for teasing you. We didn't mean to hurt your feelings," she said. "We were only kidding. Please don't think like that."

Okay, so maybe I was a little harsh on them. Especially Angel. She sounded so genuinely sad and hurt.

"Can you forgive us?" she asked. "Or, if not them, just me? I didn't even really do anything." I was just considering forgiving her when she added, "Except for intertupting your mega-make out session with Ella."

"You don't know when to shut the hell up, do you?" I asked rhetorically. I figured she went away, because there was no more noise from outside my room. I rested on my bed and thought about all the good things in my life. Ella had told me to make a list a while back. She said it was good to have. It would help me back into the category of 'Acceptable Mostly-Human Being.'

Here was my list:

Flowers in the spring

Sun on your wings

Flying

Genuinely nice people with no ulterior motives

When the flock wasn't trying to torture my brains out

Ella

That was pretty much all I had.


	19. Chapter 17

**Ugh. Why is it so difficult to find a good fluff on this site! I mean, I've been looking everywhere and all I can find is serious plots and smut. RAGE! Double ugh. Sorry I haven't posted in so long. There are two perfectly legit reasons for this:**

**1: I've been working on Science Fair (mandatory at my school :[)**

**2: I'm really really lazy.**

**But, now I've posted. So enjoy 'n' stuff ;D**

**

* * *

Chapter Seventeen**

**Iggy**

I hadn't realized that I'd fallen asleep until I woke up to the sound of Max pounding on my door.

"_What?_" I shouted at her.

"I'm going to pick up Ella. Are you coming?" she asked.

I groaned as I pulled my body back onto my feet. "Yeah, I'm coming," I called back. I walked over to the door and opened it, stepping out into the hall and walking past Max, through the house, and to the front door. I slipped on my shoes and waited for Max.

"In a hurry?" she asked.

"No, not really," I said. It was a lie. I didn't want Ella to take one step out of that school without being within spitting distance of at least one member of the flock. Max slid on her shoes and I walked out the door. I wanted to grab hold of her arm and drag her to the school, except for the fact that I had no idea where that was. I shoved my hands in my pockets and followed Max's footsteps impatiently.

"Could you walk any slower?" I demanded finally.

"Probably," she said.

"Why can't we just fly there?" I asked. "It'd be faster and easier to find the stupid school."

"Because we're supposed to be inconspicuous," she said simply.

"Do you know how long it's been since any of us have been allowed to unfurl our wings and actually go and _fly_?" I asked her. "Fang doesn't count."

I bet that was why he left us all the time. So he could actually fly and not be controlled by the Max Goddess.

"Well, when we go back to Colorado, you can fly until your wings fall off for all I care," she said, ignoring my second comment.

"_If_ we go back to Colorado," I corrected.

"Why wouldn't we go back to Colorado?" she asked.

"Never mind." I didn't think we were going back to Colorado because Max was so damn happy here with her mom and Ella…

And _Ella_.

Hell, I didn't want to leave her. Maybe I didn't think we were going back to Colorado because even I didn't want to leave Arizona. Not yet, at least. I continued to follow Max in silence for a while.

"Do you see it?" I asked her.

"No," she answered.

I let out a deep sigh. "You got us lost, didn't you?" I accused. She let out a sound of disgust.

"No, we are not _lost_! We're just not there yet!"

I let out another sigh, but said nothing more. I was so worried about Ella. I was just about to ignore everything Max had been warning us about for two years and take off into the air when Max said, "See? There it is!"

"No, I don't see."

"Whatever. We're there, anyway. At the school," she said. "I told you we weren't lost."

I followed her quickened footsteps easily. We were on the asphalt now. I recognized the feel of it under my feet. We were surrounded by sounds. Voices, mostly, accompanied by cars starting up and the rushed footsteps of people trying to get away from that prison.

"Max! Iggy!"

Ella's voice, accompanied shortly thereafter by her footsteps, were hurrying toward us.

"Hey," Max said. I gave a wave when I knew she was close.

"Let's get out of here," I said, trying to hide my nervous-ness. I didn't like being surrounded by so many strange voices. I also had a really bad gut feeling, and I wanted to get Ella out of harms reach as quickly as I could without grabbing her and taking off into the air.

"Alright," Ella said finally, and she and Max started walking back toward home. I stayed close at Ella's side.

"Do you know a Phil?" I asked once we were away from the tarmac and the voices. " 'Cause _he _seemed to know _you_. And he seemed awfully _fond_ of you."

"Fond of me?"

"Yeah. When I was talking to him, he seemed to really _like_ you," I practically spat. Ella let out a disbelieving laugh.

"Are we talking about _gay_ Phil Hopkins?" She laughed. I looked confused in her general direction. "With a really husky voice and really super helpful and nice?"

I noted that she didn't give me any physical descriptions. Maybe she was starting to figure it out. "_Gay_ Phil Hopkins?" I repeated. She giggled.

"Yeah! He's totally gay," she said. "Did you meet him?"

"Y-yeah, this morning. He drove me back to your place."

"Oh, my gosh! You got lost, didn't you! Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault," I assured her.

Max laughed from Ella's other side. She'd been completely silent though our conversation. "Gazzy was right, Iggy! You did find a little boyfriend!"

"Shut up," I hissed at her.

"I'm only kidding," Max said, still giggling behind her words. "Jeez, take a joke."

We got home and Ella and I went to my room to talk, as per usual. I didn't have much to say to her. It wasn't exactly like I wanted to tell her about my outburst from earlier. After about a half hour of talking about completely trivial things about Ella's school day, we headed to the kitchen to throw together a meal.

We came out with a simple soup-and-sandwiches, set the table, and called the flock to dinner. We ate, then split off, did whatever for a while, and went to bed. Ella knocked on my door twice and stepped into my room. I was already in bed.

"Can I sleep here again?" she asked. I nodded and pulled back the sheet, inviting her over.

"Thanks," she whispered when she was comfortable and safe in my arms.

Like I was going to leave her for those stupid fatheads.

**

* * *

I was gonna mention this at the top, but I figured that if I did, you would forget (since I do that all the time). But if you guys have some good fluffs out there or know of some, don't be shy to drop me a line and I'll read them. I have this nasty habit of reviewing every single chapter, though. So, be warned. But if you'd like a little feedback, I'm less lazy about reading than I am at writing!**

**So, fluffs, peeps! Send 'em in!**


	20. Chapter 18

**Sorry I haven't updated. Science Fair. It sucks. Well, my project will rock the judges socks off, but the whole concept sucks. Anyway, yeah.**

**WHO'S READ THE ANGEL EXCERPS ON JP'S WEBSITE!**

**If you haven't, you should, because it's amazing.**

**6 MORE DAYS!**

**Enjoy.**

**

* * *

Chapter Eighteen**

**Ella**

I hated the feeling of being afraid to go anywhere without being within arm's reach of another person. What I hated even worse was being afraid all the time. After five days of it, I kind of just wanted them to get me and be done with it. I didn't want to worry about crazy drug-abusing guys jumping out of the shadows and trying to defile my body anymore. I was really just completely afraid of…well, anything and everything, at this point.

I walked down the hall with a large group of students, all trying to get to the cafeteria for lunch. I found Kali waiting for me and I walked over to where she was standing by the line of students waiting eagerly for their food. I had almost reached them when I realized that she was also standing with Phil. His blond hair fell messily in his eyes, and his large, muscly body stood out among the other, much more scrawny students.

"Hey, guys," I said when I finished pushing through the crowd and was able to get to them. "How's it going?"

"We're fine," Kali answered. She was looking at her fingers impatiently. "It took you long enough to get here."

"Yeah, traffic," I said, nodding my head at the cluster I'd come in with. I grabbed a tray and walked along the counter, gabbing spoonful after spoonful of whatever. I ate when I was stressed, which was never much of a problem when I didn't get stressed much.

Kali and Phil took their trays and headed for our normal seat near the big windows on the back wall.

"Um, guys?" I called. They turned around and I walked over to them. "Um, maybe…we could sit somewhere else today?"

Kali shrugged. "Yeah, whatever," she agreed. We found a seat on the opposite side of the room. I didn't notice how hungry I really was until I actually took a bite of my food.

"Hey, Ella?" Phil said. "You know some guy, Iggy?"

I looked up from my food. I was pretty sure it was supposed to be spaghetti. "Yup," I said, my mouth half full. I swallowed and continued. "He's been living with me for, like, two years. Why?"

"I saw him a little while ago," Phil answered. "I kind of forgot to tell you. He bumped into me in the parking lot, didn't know his way home, so I picked him up."

"Oh," I said, not really listening to his words. "That's interesting."

"Seems like an okay guy, though he's kind of…"

"Brooding," I supplied. "Yeah, he's like that with people he doesn't know."

"Good looking, though," Phil went on, leaning back in his chair. I went back to my food. I was so worried about the whole Bullet-And-His-Gang thing, and I was so tired of being so worried, I was beyond caring about what people said. Even if they were my best friends.

"Um, Ella?" Kali said slowly.

"What ?" I mumbled.

"You're forking air into your mouth."

I glanced down at my plate. I guess my hand had continued the forking motion, even after all the food was gone. I glanced away from my friends as my cheeks burned. How stressed out was I becoming?

"I knew that," I said.

"Ella, this isn't healthy," Phil informed me. "You're too stressed out. You need to stop."

_How am I supposed to stop!_ I wanted to shriek. _There are three super-huge guys out there who want to kill me or defile me or whatever!_

All I said was, "I know."

"Good, because you're being super messed up and stuff lately. I mean, seriously." Kali looked over at Phil. "It's those damn friends of hers. They're messing with her brain."

"Don't talk about them like that," I warned under my breath.

"I'm just speaking the truth," Kali said. I glared at her as I felt heat pulse through my veins.

"If it weren't for 'those damn friends of mine,' Bullet probably would have killed me those five years ago!" I shouted at her. "If it weren't for 'those damn friends of mine,' I'd probably be _dead_!"

My table, as well as a few tables around us, went silent.

"Sorry," I whispered, suddenly embarrassed by my outburst.

"No, you're right," Kali whispered back. "They are good. Maybe I'm just…jealous. You have a great family. You got it all, and I got nothing."

I'd mostly forgotten about Kali's family. Phil, me, and everyone else who knew her was sworn never to speak of them. Her mother died when she was little, and she rarely ever saw her dad. He was always travelling to somewhere. He was a business man, one of the best. He never talked to his daughter. She was just left alone with the housekeeping staff. That's how it had always been for her.

"Well, I'm done," Phil said, pushing his chair back and standing up.

"Yeah," I said. "Me, too."

The bell rang and the three of us headed for our next classes in silence.


	21. Chapter 19

**Oh, God. I'm tired. Science Fair has really taken my ability to stay up out of me. I was going to go to bed earlier, but I wanted to give this chapter to you guys first, since I love you so much. Feel free to review any time. Just so you know. I like them :)**

**Oh, and hey. Just so you guys know, I'm a betareader now! Yay me!**

**

* * *

Chapter Nineteen**

**Iggy**

Even after all this time of walking with Max to Ella's school, I still couldn't figure out why she was so frigging _slow_! I mean, I'd be better off to walk with a freaking _turtle_, for God's sake!

Of course, turtles weren't very good with directions. And that was pretty much the only reason that I brought Max with me every day.

Silently, we walked just under two miles to Ella's school and waited in the parking lot. It was getting cool now, as it was mid-October. Or at least, as cool as it could get for Arizona. It was still about 80 degrees, but that's better than the 90+ of September or the close to 100 of August. I could still feel the pavement burning under my feet.

"Iggy," Ella said when she came near to me. "Let's get out of here."

I could hear the nervousness in her tone. Honestly, I felt pretty nervous as well. I had an even worse feeling than I usually did standing around in the school parking lot. I didn't know why, but I did.

"Alright," I said. "C'mon, Max." I started walking back in the direction we'd come from. I could hear Max's and Ella's footsteps behind me. At least, I was pretty sure that they were Max's and Ella's footsteps behind me. I listened to the footsteps for maybe half of the way back, but wasn't sure I was at least half right until Ella grabbed my hand.

That was when everything around me stopped.

Max and Ella stopped walking, no one was talking. I could barely even hear the cars on the road a little ways away.

Then, one deep, menacing voice broke through the silence. "Hey, Ella, long time no see," it said.

"We've been waiting for you," a second guy said, just a little less deep and menacing. "We couldn't get you alone, but we just couldn't wait for you anymore."

_Oh shit,_ I thought. _It's those guys._

"Oh, for God's sake, not you yahoos again," Max said.

"Hi there, Bullet," Ella said. "It's been a while, yeah."

"Don't talk shit with us, Martinez. You know why we're here, and you know what we want," the first guy, who I assumed was Bullet, said.

"Yeah," the second guy chuckled. "We want you. _Alone._" He drew out the word alone so that it turned out more like 'Aye-loon' then 'Alone.' The guy was obviously completely stoned.

"Where's Killer?" Ella asked. "I thought you guys always hunted in packs."

She was being so brave. Her voice never quivered once. She wasn't projecting any fear from what I could feel, standing just beside her, one hand lightly touching her arm.

Bullet was silent for a minute before saying, "He couldn't be here right now. He had other…_plans_." I could almost see his nasty, yellowed smile as he said the word. I grabbed Ella's wrist.

"Unless you guys want to get your asses kicked into the next state, I would get out of here," I said.

"Wow," Bullet said. "Check out that kid's eyes. Are you, like, blind, kid?"

I bit my lip. "What does it matter? I don't need my eyes to kick _your_ ass."

That is why Max is the trash-talker.

"Whatever," Bullet said. "I don't like havin' and audience for doin' what I'm gonna do to Ella. Ace, take out the chick and the blind kid."

"You're going to regret that," Max said. I could feel every muscle in my body buzzing, preparing for the fight.

"Iggy?" Ella whispered beside me. "Just…don't get hurt, okay?"

I squeezed her arm where I was still holding it. "Okay."

I could hear the second guy, Ace's footsteps coming toward me. He was practically in front of me before Max shouted, "Now!"

I kicked up my foot and hit him approximately in the gut. His breath blew out of him with a loud woof. He was obviously still shocked that he'd gotten kicked in the stomach by a blind kid, because he made no attempt at retaliation. I punched him in the face as best I could. He was out of his shock now, because he let out an animal-like growl and came back at me.

Listening carefully, I heard his left fist coming right toward my right ear. I was about to duck when Ella screamed, "Iggy!" Without thinking, I turned my head toward her, then took the fist in my eye.

Have I ever said that women were going to be the death of me?

Now you know why.

I heard Ella's sharp intake of breath mingling with mine, and I decided I was going to ignore her for the rest of this fight.

"Hah!" Ace exclaimed. "Got you, you little shit!"

I punched him again, aiming for his chin but hitting his nose instead. I heard the crack, indicating it had broken.

"Wow," Max mused from beside me. "I did exactly the same thing to this guy. Why are their chins so damn hard to hit?"

Now that I knew where his nose was, and 'Ace' was too busy with it to pay attention, I pulled back and swung another punch, this time connecting solidly with his jaw.

"That's better," Max and I both said simultaneously. We continued beating the crap out of Ace and Bullet. They fought back hard, but we were better. We'd spent the majority of our lives fighting Erasers. We could take on these guys no problem.

That thought triggered others in my head. "Max? Doesn't their fighting style seem kind of…familiar?" I asked.

"Um, yeah, actually." Ace kicked me in the stomach and I slid back about a foot, sputtering to regain my breath. "They're kind of like…_Erasers._"

"Hold true to the #1 rule, Max," I said. "If they look like Erasers and they fight like Erasers…" I heard a fist whizzing at my head and ducked. Max continued.

"Even if they aren't Erasers…"

"_Kill them like Erasers,_" we finished in sync. I got Ace again, hooking him under the chin and throwing his head back. He fell to the ground.

No, he wasn't dead, just seriously in pain.

"Want to know another thing about Erasers?" I asked Max.

"Do tell," she said.

"They hardly ever come after us in twos."

Just as I finished saying it, a high-pitched, agonizing scream came from behind me. Max and I both turned around at the same time.

"Oh, God!" Max exclaimed.

"What!" I nearly shrieked.

"There was another guy!" Max gasped. "And he had a knife!"

"Ella!" I screamed.

"You take care of him, I'll finish with these yo-yos," Max said. "They're about 12 feet, Northeast."

I could feel my fury burning through my veins, pulling me toward the bastard who attacked Ella. I ran at him with all I had. I hit him head-on, catching him off-guard and knocking him to the ground. I punched him with alternating fists, trying with all my will to damage him permanently. When he let out a groan, I stopped hitting him, but instead slammed his head against the pavement with as much force as I could muster.

"That's what you get for attacking my girl," I whispered in his ear. "Next time, it'll be worse."

I knew he was probably unconscious and couldn't hear me, but it gave me some satisfaction knowing that he'd gotten a warning if he lived.

I turned away from the guy on the ground and crawled across the ground toward Ella. I found her and pulled her against me. I put one hand behind her head and one on her cheek. God, she was so pale.

"Ella," I whispered, hoping against hope that she would answer. "Ella, say something to me."

"You…killed him?" she said, though it was little more than a breath. I shook my head.

"I don't think so," I said. I moved my hand from her cheek to her back. It took a moment before I could feel the warm scarlet pouring onto my hand. She was bleeding hard.

"Max!" I shouted.

"Get her out of here!" she grunted as she swung another kick at Bullet.

Without thinking, without caring about the rules, ignore all the warning bells going off in my head, I unfurled my wings and took off into the sky, holding Ella close to my body. I flew all the way back to the Martinez house, knowing where it would be, and dropped onto the lawn, rushing into the place I'd called home for two years.


	22. Chapter 20

**YAY! SCIENCE FAIR IS DONE! Thank God. I hated it. I really hope I don't get into regionals… _ Anywho, I made you a new chapter while I was waiting to be judged! I hope you like it.**

**Sorry about all the srsness of all this. I promise there will be some funnies to come! And they will be funny. I know, I already made them up.**

**

* * *

Chapter Twenty**

**Iggy**

"Dr. M.!" I called as soon as I stepped into the house. I could feel several sets of eyes on me, but I ignored them, running through the house until I found her.

"Iggy?" she said, sounding confused. "What's going on?"

"Ella!" I gasped. "She got hurt!"

"What happened to her?"

I couldn't think of a reasonable answer to that question. Was I just supposed to tell her mom that her daughter got stabbed in the back by some psychotic steroid-addict?

Well, unless you can think of anything better…

"Some guy pulled a knife on her and got her in the back," I explained. "She's really hurt."

"Bring her to her room," she said, her voice shaking with what I guessed was shock and fear. I did as I was told, carrying Ella's limp body into her room and laying her on her side on the bed.

"Can you tell me what kind of knife the person had?" Dr. M. asked me.

"Uh, no!" I said. How the hell was I supposed to know what kind of knife that bastard had!

"Of course not," Dr. M. mumbled to herself.

Max burst into the room, sounding breathless. "How is she?"

"Max! Thank goodness you're here. I need you to go into my car and get me my first-aid kit."

"She looks like she needs more than just _first_ aid," Angel said from the door. "Maybe you should try second and third aid, too."

"Angel! You're not helping! Get the hell out of here!" I shouted at her. I heard her scamper off.

"Iggy," Dr. M. said to me. "Why did you bring her back here? Why not to a hospital?"

"Okay, one," I said coldly, knocking my reasons off on my fingers, "I don't know where a hospital is. Two, hospitals don't take mutant bird freaks landing in their parking lots very well, and three, I knew you could help her, or at least move her to a hospital from here."

"Of course," she muttered again.

"You should really starting thinking these kinds of things out all the way," I said to her.

"So are we going to take her to a hospital?" I asked after we were both quiet for a minute.

"I have to clean and bandage the wound first, or else she'll never make it."

"Oh," I whispered. I hadn't even dared to consider Ella not making it. It just seemed so completely inconceivable.

"I've got the thing," Max announced, walking back into the room.

"Excellent, bring it over," Dr. M. said.

I wished I wasn't blind. I wished I could see what was happening to Ella. I wished I could see what she looked like. Then maybe I could actually be helpful instead of just sitting here and looking freaked out. I could feel anger in me and I didn't know what to do with it. I didn't want to lash out at Dr. Martinez. Not after she'd taken such good care of us for all these years. And I didn't want to lash out at Max, because I knew that somehow Fang would end up hearing about it and kick my ass.

So, instead, I just sat and waited, trying to supress it as I listened to Dr. M. clean and bandage Ella's cut. I was just so scared about losing her.

"There," Dr. M. announced. "All clean and covered."

"Are we taking her to the hospital now?" I asked.

"No, we won't do that," Dr. M. said. I tried not to gape open-mouthed at her.

"Then what are we doing!" I demanded.

"I'm going to call Stephanie and see if she could come over and take a look at her.

I racked my mind, trying to remember who Stephanie was. Then the name and location clicked together in my mind. She was that crazy-annoying, anti-male doctor who helped Max with her baby.

"Not her again," I groaned.

"Why not?" Dr. M. asked me, sounded slightly insulted.

"She hates Fang and I," I said. When Dr. M. said nothing, I added, "Seriously! She has this, like, matriarchal complex and hates everything with a d—"

"I hardly believe that's true," Dr. M. protested, cutting me off. I raised an eyebrow.

"Does she have a boyfriend?" I asked.

Dr. M. paused briefly before admitting, "No."

"A husband?"

"No."

"A male employee?"

"…no."

"See?" I gloated.

I heard numbers being dialled on a phone and realized that my argument had been pointless. She was still getting Dr. Hates-All-Things-Male to come here, no matter how it affected Fang and I. I felt a pang of guilt hit me. It reminded me that this whole thing wasn't about Fang and I. It was about getting Ella to live to her graduation.

Jeez, talk about a gut-wrenching, agonizing, virtual-slap-in-the-face kind of a feeling.

"She'll be here shortly," Dr. M. said sternly. "And I don't want any negative talk from you."

I could almost see her wagging her finger at me strictly. "Of course not," I said without an ounce of sarcasm. "You won't hear a thing out of me.

I walked over to the top of the bed and knelt down on the floor by Ella's head, exactly where I planned to stay for the entire time Dr. Nicholson was here. I wasn't going to let them do anything to Ella without me knowing about it.

I was sitting there for maybe two minutes before the doorbell rang (I wouldn't know. I don't really care for watches). I didn't move from my spot by Ella's head. I heard Dr. M.'s footsteps coming back into the room, accompanied by another set which I assumed belonged to Dr. Nicholson. She stepped in the room and stopped dead.

"What did he do to her?" she demanded instantly. I jumped to my feet.

"What the hell? I didn't do anything to her!" I exclaimed.

"That's unlikely," she disagreed. She continued, talking to Dr. Martinez. "You shouldn't allow your daughter to hang around scum like him. She'll only get herself hurt, just as she already has."

_Scum like me_? That bitch was practically begging me to send her through the roof.

"I appreciate your warning," Dr. M. said softly, "but I'm not worried about Ella being around Iggy. He is a very respectable human being."

A respectable human being. Ella would be proud.

"I may just be a regular old respectable human being over here," I said, "but maybe we should stop talking about me and start taking care of Ella. You know, the girl with the massive knife wound in her back over here?"

"Yes, the _boy_ is right," Dr. Nicholson said, spitting the word boy like it was a curse word. I was tempted to stick my tongue out at her.

"Iggy, why don't you go wait with Max and the others?" Dr. M. suggested politely. I shook my head violently.

"No way," I said. "I'm not leaving her."

"Alright, I understand," she said softly.

"Fine," Dr. Nicholson spat as she walked toward Ella and I. "I see you bandaged the wound, Valencia. Very nicely, I might add."

"Thank you," Dr. M. said humbly. "I also cleaned it before you came."

I could hear Dr. Nicholson taking off the bandage and checking the wound, which I assumed was really bad.

"Well," she sighed, "there doesn't seem to be any damage to any internal organs. She should be okay. She's lucky she got hit where she did, and that it wasn't very deep."

"No," I mumbled, "she'd be lucky if she hadn't gotten hurt at all."

Both doctors ignored me, still fussing over Ella. I was really getting irritated. With what? I don't know. Mostly everything. I squeezed my hands into fists until my nails bit into the skin. I still couldn't believe I'd let this happen. Sure, I hadn't exactly _let_ it happened, but I hadn't really stopped it, had I? If I wasn't so stupid fricking blind, this wouldn't have happened.

"Why isn't she awake?" I asked finally, bitterness tainting my words.

"She lost a lot of blood, that's all," Dr. Nicholson explained. "She'll come to in a few hours." She went on, talking to Dr. Martinez. "If she doesn't come around after twenty-four hours, call me."

Dr. Nicholson left the room. Dr. M. followed her out. I didn't leave Ella's side. I knelt down on the ground beside her again and held one of her hands securely between both of mine.

"You'll be okay," I said. "I promise."


	23. Chapter 21

**Kay, so I'm giving you this chapter, too, since I'm up to 32 and I know I'm a little behind, so I'll give you this one, too. I wrote it with Max because I would have written it with Ella since I've already done two with Iggy, only she's not very exciting right now. I need to stop thinking about it because I'm getting really good ideas for a dream thing for her, but that would mean I'd have to go back and change everything and I don't really want to :(**

**So this one's Max to give you a break from Iggy's pathetic self-hateful mind. :P**

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Chapter Twenty-One**

**Max**

I burst into my bedroom. "Okay," I declared to Fang, who was lying on the bed, typing feverishly on his laptop. He glanced up.

"Yes?" he said slowly.

"It's officially time to start worrying about Iggy."

Fang rolled his eyes and went back to his typing. "I thought we already were worried about Iggy."

"Yeah, well, now we need to worry more," I said. "He hasn't moved in, like, twelve hours. I can't sit there and watch him anymore, and none of us have eaten in ages."

"So make some food," he suggested. I gave him a sceptical look.

"Think about what you just said." It was an under-statement to say that I still couldn't cook. In fact, I was pretty sure I'd gotten worse.

Fang shut his laptop. "Okay, so maybe we should convince him to go away from Ella for a minute and feed us. How does that sound?"

I could hear the sarcasm in his voice. A pang of guilt hit me. I hated it when he did that. "Not so good," I confessed. "But still! He hasn't eaten, he hasn't slept, all he's done is sit there and stare at Ella! He's, like, in a trance or something!"

"What do you want to do about that?" he asked me, standing up and approaching me.

"I want you to talk to him," I said.

"Why me?"

"Because he listens to you!"

Fang scoffed. "He doesn't listen to me! He practically hates me!"

"Yeah, but he's not gonna listen to me."

"So send Gazzy. Maybe he can talk some sense into him."

"Yeah, cause we can count on Gazzy to take something seriously."

"Nudge?"

"She'll never stop talking _something_ into him, and I somehow doubt any of it will be sense."

At that moment, Little One started wailing at me. I walked over to his crib and pulled him out.

"What is it?" I cooed. I seriously couldn't help it around him. "Are you hungry, Little One?"

I sat him on my hip. He stopped crying. He always stopped when I put him on my hip. I couldn't figure out why, just like I couldn't figure out why every time Iggy tried to touch him, he got zapped. I carried him to the kitchen and pulled out some food. I also checked the time. It was four in the morning. I threw together a bottle for Little One and grabbed an apple for myself. I quickly finished. I had hardly noticed Fang follow me into the kitchen.

"Let's deal with Iggy," he said. I smiled.

"What made you come around?" I asked teasingly.

"We are the parents here, after all."

My smile widened as I walked toward Ella's room. Seeing Iggy there next to her on the floor wiped that temporary moment of happiness right off my face. I felt so bad for the kid. He finally trusted someone enough to actually care about her, and then she got hurt. The worst part was that he completely blamed himself.

"Iggy?" I whispered from the door. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he said flatly. "Go away."

"You're not fine," I said. "You haven't moved in twelve hours. That's not good for you. You need to eat. You need to sleep."

"I don't need either of those," he said. "I'm fine. Go away."

"Iggy, she's right," Fang agreed. "Seriously, bro. You need to eat, at least."

"No!" Iggy shouted. "I'm not leaving."

I sighed. This was going nowhere. I looked back at Fang for help. He just shrugged. I rolled my eyes at his uselessness and walked into the room. I crouched down next to Iggy.

"Iggy, you know we care about you, right?" I said softly. "You can talk to us about anything. Really."

Iggy sighed and closed his eyes. Just then, Little One reached out toward Iggy, squirming in my arms.

"Little One, no!" I gasped. I wasn't fast enough. His fingers met with Iggy's arm and he jolted. I collected Little One and held him against me.

"Ouch," Iggy muttered. I bit my lip.

"I'm so sorry, Iggy," I said.

"It's okay," he said. "It doesn't even hurt as much anymore. Really."

We still couldn't figure out why Little One had such a weird effect on Iggy. Every time he touched him, Iggy got shocked. Since that first time, we hadn't really let them touch if we could avoid it. This was only the third or fourth time it had happened. It always seemed to happen at really inconvenient moments, when Iggy was really stressed about something. But he seemed less stressed now.

"We're still always willing to talk to you about anything," I repeated. He nodded solemnly.

"I know."

I patted his shoulder and stood up. Fang and I walked back to our room and I put Little One back in his crib just before flopping face-first down on my bed.

"Ugh," I groaned. Teenagers.


	24. Chapter 22

**It's late. I'm tired, but I couldn't sleep so I worked on this. Enjoy it. I'm going to bed.**

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Chapter Twenty-Two**

**Iggy**

Max had made a good point. It wasn't good for me to just sit here and not do anything. But I just couldn't manage to get my body to do anything else. I just wanted to be by her side. So instead of doing something good, I continued to sit, rubbing my arm where Little One had shocked me. Nobody understood why it happened to me and only me. He never shocked anyone else.

I realized that Ella truly was leaving an impression on me. I almost felt willing to talk to Max about things. I wanted to, even.

Suddenly I knew what Ella had been teaching me the whole time.

She'd been teaching me to trust.

She'd gotten me to trust her by trusting me first. And when I learned to trust her, I was willing to trust other people.

"She saved me," I whispered to myself.

"Really?" Gazzy said from behind me. I'd thought I'd heard him come in. I didn't turn around. "Good."

"Good?"

"That's what she said she was doing," he said. "I'm glad she got what she wanted to do done. Dr. M. always says that it's good to set goals, and even better to finish them."

I smiled. "Yep. She does."

"Are you going to move from there, or are you just going to sit there until she wakes up?"

My stomach flopped. I'd almost forgotten about Ella. I'd been too busy doing exactly what she wanted me to do. Trust.

"Iggy, what if she doesn't wake up?" he whispered. I bit down on my cheek so hard that I tasted blood.

"That's not going to happen," I said firmly. I wouldn't allow it.

"Okay," Gazzy agreed. He walked into the room and sat on the floor beside me. "You really like her, don't you?"

I nodded. "I guess, yeah," I said unsurely. "She's really great."

"Yeah, she is," he agreed. "She's, like, a genuinely nice person without any ulterior motives."

I paused. "Yeah," I said finally. "She really is."

We sat in silence for a minute. It wasn't even an awkward silence. It was just nice, and I could have sat there for hours and feel completely comfortable.

Eventually, though, Gazzy's stomach interrupted the peace.

"Go eat something," I told him. "You've got to be starving."

"What about you?" He countered. I waved him off.

"I'm fine. Really," I enforced. "Go."

Gazzy paused, and I knew he was trying to think of something to say back, but eventually he sighed. He stood and headed for the door.

"You're sure you don't want anything?" he asked. I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

"_I'm fine_," I repeated, exasperated. He sighed again and left, and I could hear his footsteps almost all the way to the kitchen. I put the hand not holding Ella's on my stomach. I was hungry. Very hungry. I wanted to eat, but I couldn't. I was thinking about Ella again, and my stomach flip-flopped dangerously. I couldn't pull my thoughts away from Ella enough to eat. I didn't want to, anyway. I hit my head against an imaginary solid thing in front of me. I still couldn't believe I'd let this happen to my girlfriend.

Girlfriend?

Is that what Ella was to me? Did I really think of her as my _girlfriend_?

I thought about it. Every time I heard her voice, her laugh, I felt warm inside. Every time her skin brushed against mine, my heart fluttered. I wanted her body near mine forever. I wanted to be with her forever.

Was that what being in love felt like?

If it was, then I was head-over-heels in love with Ella.

And I really was. I really did love her. There wasn't an ounce of doubt in my mind anymore.

"I love you," I whispered, more like a realization than an a statement.

I thought maybe I felt her hand twitch, but it could have just been my imagination.


	25. Chapter 23

**SQUEEEE! I just had an AMAZING idea! I just hope you guys don't get mad at me /looks through eyelashes/ But you wouldn't do that to me, would you? Nah.**

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Chapter Twenty-Three**

**Ella**

I blinked my eyes into focus. My head hurt very much, and my back throbbed rhythmically, each pulse sending a zap of pain up my spine. I opened my eyes slowly and blinked until the room came into focus. I was in my bedroom. It was dark. Iggy was kneeling in front of my, holding one of my hands tightly in his. I shot upright and cried out in pain as the throbbing got a million times worse.

"Ella?" Iggy gasped. He very gently helped me lie back down on my bed.

"What happened?" I croaked.

"You got hurt, he said vaguely. "You've been out for, like, twelve hours."

"Twelve hours?" I repeat incredulously. I'd been unconscious for _twelve hours_?

"How's your back?" Iggy asked, changing the subject.

"It hurts," I said. "A lot."

"You need to just relax," he said. "That's what your mom said." Just then something dawned on him. "I need to go tell her your awake!"

He started to get up and my stomach muscles tensed. I didn't want him to leave. I was afraid to be alone still. "No!" I gasped. He hesitated. "Don't go. Please."

"Why not?" he asked, looking truly confused. I bit my lip.

"I don't…I don't want you to go," I said. "I just…don't want to…be alone."

"Ella," Iggy said softly. "They're not going to come after you, okay?"

I furrowed my brow. "How do you know that?"

"I don't, I guess," he confessed. "But Max and I beat the crap out of them, so I'm betting they won't."

"But…" I whimpered pathetically. Iggy sighed.

"Fine, I can stay," he said. I grinned triumphantly. He sat on the side of my bed, right beside my head. I looked down at myself. I was still wearing the same clothes, only I was covered in blood.

"Iggy," I whispered shyly, "my clothes are covered in blood."

"Are they?" he asked. I nodded and shifted, my clothes sticking uncomfortably to me in some places and staying stiff in others.

"Yes. Can you help me…change into some new clothes?" I didn't really mind asking him to help me dress, since he was blind and couldn't see my naked skin anyway.

"Um, yeah, I guess," he agreed awkwardly. My pyjamas were still sitting at the foot of my bed, exactly where I'd left them when I'd changed into my school clothes yesterday morning.

"Just grab my pjs at the end of my bed, there," I told him. He did just that. I tried to sit up and he helped me, putting a hand on my shoulder blades to keep me steady. With painful slowness and care, he helped me shimmy out of my bloodied clothes. His hand slipped and he dropped my shirt behind me.

"Oh, sorry, I'll get it," he mumbled. He reached over me, the fabric of his shirt brushing against my bare abdomen. I suppressed the urge to shiver at his closeness. He clutched the shirt in his hands, but didn't straighten. Instead, he leaned down and kissed my neck gently.

"I'm so glad you're okay," he said.

"Mm," I mumbled back. He continued to kiss the one spot on my neck.

"Max," he breathed through his teeth. He straightened. I stayed on my back, since that was all I could really accomplish.

"_Excuse _me?" I said, my brow furrowed. Did he just mutter Max while kissing me?

"It's not what you think!" Iggy exclaimed, figuring out what I was thinking. I was about to respond that I was sure it was what I thought, but then I heard the voice and knew that he wasn't talking to me. I peered around him. Max was standing in my doorway. I looked down and took in my nakedness, and Iggy, who had, moments ago, been hovering just inches over my body.

"I don't see how it could be anything than what I think," Max said, almost acidly.

"It's really not!" I added. "I swear!"

But Max had already left. Iggy followed after her. I could hear him chasing her down the hall, begging her to listen.

If my mother found out…

I tried to get up, then cried out at the pain of the movement and collapsed back onto the bed in my underclothes. Nudge poked her head around my doorway.

"Ella?" she said. "What are you doing?"

Freezing, hurting, worrying, starving, expecting the wrath of Max and my mother….

Just to name a few.

Instead of saying any of those, I burst into tears. Nudge rushed into the room.

"It's okay, Ella," she soothed. "Come on, you've got to be freezing." She found my clothes and gingerly helped me into them. When I was bundled securely, Nudge stepped back, as if observing a masterpiece, and said, "There. That's much better."

I sniffled and wiped my eyes. "Thank you," I whimpered.

"Now, what's the matter?" she asked. I lied down on my right side, where I was the most comfortable. Nudge sat down by my knees. I sniffled again.

"Well, for one thing, I just woke up from a twelve-hour coma after being stabbed in the back," I started. Nudge's face lit up. I wasn't sure how she could be so happy when I felt so miserable.

"I heard all about that," she said. "Iggy was so brave! He completely destroyed that guy who hurt you!"

I blinked at her. "Really?"

"Hell, yeah! Apparently, he was so mad that that guy had hurt you, that he went completely nuts and beat the guy 'til he was pretty much dead!"

"He actually _killed_ him?" I asked shyly. Nudge shrugged.

"I don't really know. Nobody stuck around long enough to find out. Iggy took off with you, and Max came back a little while after," she explained. "He still hadn't come to when she left, so it's hard to say."

I sat there and took all this in. I couldn't believe Iggy had fought so hard for me.

"He really does love you," Nudge told me. I nodded.

"I really love him," I said. "I just wish he'd say it to my face."

"He's probably just…afraid to," Nudge said. I looked at her.

"Afraid?" I repeated.

"Yeah. He doesn't want to hurt you by telling you he loves you if he actually doesn't."

I pondered that. He didn't want to hurt me? Because he wasn't sure if he loved me?

"What does that even mean?" I asked her. She shrugged.

"He's never felt the way he feels about you for anyone else. He doesn't know what the feeling is," Nudge explained. "That girl Tess hardly even meant anything to him. She was just a nice girl. A misfit, like the rest of us."

"How do you know all this?" I asked finally. Nudge looked suddenly solemn.

"Before he had you," she said slowly, "he always talked to me."


	26. Chapter 24

**I am damaged :( I hurt my finger. I think it's like, sprained or something. It's starting to feel a little better, though. The thing is, I can only write with one finger (my index) on my left hand. So, I'll keep trying to fix it, and you keep reading my story. Mmkay?**

**I GOT ANGEL! READ IT!**

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Chapter Twenty-Four**

**Ella**

The flock and my mom had let me sort of recover for a while before making me move again. Kali dropped off my homework every afternoon. I had Angel sit on the floor with a pencil and paper and read out the questions to me while I answered them, since I couldn't find a comfortable way to write yet.

It took me about a week before I was really good enough to stand and Stephanie wasn't worried that I'd pull the cut open. She'd come in again the day after I'd woken up to check me out. She'd told me that I didn't need stitches, but I should be careful with it.

I had been back to my regular routine for about a day, and had been working at my desk on homework when Max had knocked on my bedroom door.

"Yes?" I called. She opened it. Iggy was standing guiltily behind her.

"Ella, Mom and I want to have a talk with you in the living room, please," she said. I looked at her, confused, then to Iggy for some help. He didn't see my pleading look, of course, so he was little to none at best. I got up from my desk and followed Max into the living room, where my mother was seated on the floral couch. I sat down across from her, Max, and Fang, next to Iggy. Max took Little One from Fang and sat him on her lap. He giggled and gurgled.

"_What`s going on?"_ I whispered to Iggy.

"_I have no idea,_" he whispered back. Max cleared her throat across from us. We went silent.

"It has come to my attention," Mom began, speaking to me, "that your relationship with Iggy has become more…serious than I once believed it to be."

Iggy straightened. "You squealed!" he shouted accusingly at Max. She shrugged nonchalantly.

Mom cleared her throat, bringing attention back to herself. "Max suggested to me that we sit you two down and have a talk. Nobody's in trouble. We just want to talk."

That's how she always stared her rare lectures.

It was Max's turn to talk. "We don't want to tell you about how having a 'physical relationship' "—she was quoting my mother, no doubt—"is dangerous. We just want to talk about consequences."

"Things that weren't explained to us," Fang finished. I sighed. I'd had "the talk" with my mother a long time ago. I'd figured that after the first time I was done. Then again, I also hadn't really thought that it would ever actually happen to me.

"We just want you two to know that sometimes, unexpected things can happen in a physical relationship," Mom said. She gestured to the gurgling baby on Max's lap. "Take Little One, for example. He was completely unexpected."

"And Max and Fang dealt with their mistakes just fine, didn't they?" I retorted. Max bit her lip. Fang smirked.

"See?" he said. "I told you they knew what they were doing. She has it figured out better than Max."

"Now, I'd love to stick around, but I have homework that needs to be done. I'll see you at dinner."

Then I got up and strode back to my bedroom.

Iggy came in just behind me and shut the door. "I cannot believe you said that!" he said, laughing. "I can just imagine the look on Max's face!"

"I can't believe I said that," I whispered to myself. Then I grinned. "I can't believe I said that!" I shrieked triumphantly. "I-I don't know what came over me!" I ran my hands through my hair. "I mean, I just was standing there, and all of a sudden, I said it! And I don't even feel bad about it!"

"Good," Iggy said. "You shouldn't. You stood up for yourself. That's a good thing. You don't need to take crap from her."

"I guess," I mumbled. I kind of felt bad for being so mean to Max. I knew she was just trying to protect Iggy and me and whatever. I guess I shouldn't have been so hard on her and my mom.

But it had felt so good at the time.

"I'm going out," he announced, walking for my door. "I'll be back soon."

"What about dinner?" I asked helplessly.

"I think you can handle it on your own."

He gave me a sly wink and I felt my stomach flutter. I released a girly little giggle. Iggy grinned as he left.

"H-have fun," I managed to say. He was just so…amazing.


	27. Chapter 25

**Okay, so I just sent in an application for an audition for the High School Production at my local theater and they called me back and gave me an appointment in May, so now I AM FREAKING OUT! I mean what if they like me! What if I get in? What if I get a big part? What if I end up going to the play and performing in front of everyone?**

**Anyway, story. Right. Enjoy.**

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Chapter Twenty-Five**

**Iggy**

I really just needed a breath of fresh air. I'd gotten stiff from helping Ella recover, and now that I was sure she was okay, I felt free to go and just let loose for a minute. I stepped out into the brisk November air. The heavy wind tossed my hair around. I took a few steps, unfurled my wings, and I was gone. I didn't care about any of Max's rules about not flying. No one would find out, and I knew Ella wouldn't tell her. I let the wind flow under my wings, holding me up in the air. I could almost just let the breeze carry me.

I was so glad that Ella was awake now. I'd been so worried about her. I'd told them all that she'd be fine, though. I'd told them she would make it. And she had, just like I'd said.

I didn't want to stop flying ever. I was so comfortable in the sky. The air was my element. The sky was where I belonged. And Max holding me and the others from that was just wrong. She'd have to teach Little One how to fly eventually, and then she'd have to let us all loose.

We'd talked about Little One's flying lessons, Gazzy, Nudge, Angel, and I. We all mainly hoped that it wouldn't be like Dylan's, which pretty much involved Max pushing him off the roof.

Dylan. I hadn't thought about him in ages. I still remembered when he'd expired that morning nearly two years ago. I bit down on my lip. I'd been there the morning he'd announced to Max that he was leaving. She'd kissed him then. I was the only other person who knew about it.

What would Fang have said?

I kind of wanted to tell him. Just in spite of Max and how much she'd pissed me off lately. But I couldn't do that to her. First of all, because it was wrong. It's not like she'd wanted Dylan, and he was dead anyway, so what did it matter? And second, I owed her for all the times she hadn't told Dr. M. about Ella and I.

I needed to stop thinking about Dylan. It was too…difficult. I'd never really loved the guy, but I'd also never hated him. We didn't talk about him anymore. We hadn't talked about him once since we'd gotten rid of his body. It was an unspoken rule that we were never to mention him again.

I sighed. I was letting my mind wander too far. The wind was picking up, too. There was probably a storm coming. I turned around and flew back toward the house. Max would be furious if she found out I'd been flying. And I had to make sure that Ella really did have dinner under control. I slowly headed for the ground until I landed smoothly on the front lawn. I walked casually into the house. Nobody seemed to notice I'd left, so I continued on to the kitchen. Ella greeted me when I walked in and explained that dinner was ready and I was back just in time.

I smiled to myself.

Maybe my life really didn't suck so bad after all.


	28. Chapter 26

**Ottawa for the weekend! Not much to do but sit in the hotel and write, so I have a couple of chapters made for you people. Unfortunately, I feel that I should pace you guys. So…yeah. Maybe a new one later. Kay? Okay. Great.**

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Chapter Twenty-Six**

**Christopher Blacock**

I slipped on my pack and draped my binoculars around my neck. I was determined to find something today. Anything. The doorbell rang and I hurried to get it. When I opened it, my crew was standing there, smiling at me.

"Hello, men," I greeted. They responded with their typical "Hello, Doctor," and "Good to see you, Doctor."

With our packs on our backs and our binoculars ready to be used, we took off into the woods in search of the very objects of our affection: birds.

Every day we trekked through the city to look at birds. Any and all birds. In fact, the other day we saw a Laysan Albatross passing overhead! It was the sighting of a lifetime.

We had walked all morning before needing to take a break for lunch, and we hadn't seen anything more than a few mourning doves and Arizona woodpeckers. Nothing particularly notable.

As we sat around the table at our preferred diner, I sighed and looked over my crew. "I'm terribly sorry to come across as having a pessimistic outlook, men, but it would appear that today may be a bit of an 'off day.' "

"Don't give up hope yet, Christopher," my old friend Trevor told me. "The day is still young. I'm sure we'll find something this afternoon."

"In the meantime, let us enjoy a wonderful meal!" James declared as the waitress arrived with our orders.

We scarfed down our food and, bellies full to the point of bursting, continued on our hunt. We persisted to have a dishearteningly uneventful day. William was able to add a feather to his collection. It was in lovely condition, too. But things didn't pick up until later that afternoon, just as we were heading to our homes for dinner.

Thank goodness Samuel had been looking up when it had passed us, or we never would have seen it. We had decided to quit early that day because the wind was picking up and we were certain a storm was coming and the birds would be taking cover. But just as Sam was checking to see how the clouds were forming, a large form flew overhead.

"Look!" he exclaimed. We all looked above us where his finger was pointing. Lucky for us, it flew by again. It had to be the largest bird I'd ever seen. Nearly the size of a full-grown human. On its second pass, it dropped a feather, which fluttered gently down into my hands. I examined it. I was so large, nearly the size of my forearm. All the boys came to examine it.

"My God," Trevor whispered.

"That's the biggest feather I've ever seen!" Martin declared. He had been bird watching the longest out of all of us, and he'd traveled the world in search of new birds. I was certain that if it was the biggest he'd seen, it was the biggest anyone had seen.

"We must find the bird which dropped it," James said certainly. I nodded and we followed the direction the bird had taken.

Things were certainly looking up for our little group of Ornithologists.


	29. Chapter 27

**Welcome to chapter 27~! I'm kind of tired after writing a script for a book trailer based on _The Summoning_ by Kelley Armstrong, and it's after 9 (I know, the bedtime of a 10-year-old) so I'm just genuinely exhausted. Why is my bedtime nine o'clock, you may ask? Well, you see, in order to keep my creative juices flowing, I go to bed early and dream up the my stories. No, it's actually usually ten or eleven, but an 8 hour trip back from Ottawa really just killed me.**

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Chapter Twenty-Seven**

**Ella**

The next morning was Saturday. I smiled to myself. No school. Just a full day of hanging out with the flock and my mom. I stretched and yawned. This would be a good day for sure.

I rolled out of bed and slid into my slippers. The fuzz inside tickled my toes. I walked out of my bedroom in that pleasant daze of not-quite-awake. When I got to the living room, I saw Mom standing at the door talking to a paunchy, middle-aged man. She had a look of concentration on her face, which told me that she was either decoding his words or swaying his opinion. I snuck forward, but the weight I put on the floorboards made one creak. My mom spun around.

"Ella!" she said warmly. "Good morning, dear."

"Hi, Mom," I said with a forced smile. I gestured to the door. "Who's that?"

"This is Dr. Christopher Blacock," she said. I nodded politely at him and used the opportunity to look him over. He had binoculars around his neck and a backpack over one shoulder.

Sticking out of the top of the bag was a feather.

A feather that perfectly matched Iggy's.

"Mom, can I talk to you for a second?" I said urgently. She gave me a funny look, but looked over at Dr. Blacock.

"Please, come in. Make yourself at home. I'll be back in a moment."

She followed me out of the room and into the kitchen. "What's that guy doing here?" I hissed.

"He says that he's looking for the bird who owns a feather he found in the forest. He claims that if flew right by here," she explained. She looked sternly at me. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

I felt myself flush. I didn't want to rat Iggy out. But I couldn't think of a lie that she'd believe.

"It _might_ be Iggy's, I don't know," I said nervously. "I mean, I guess it _looks_ like it, but it could be anybody's."

"Uh huh," she said sceptically. I knew she didn't believe me, but she didn't outright say I was lying.

"What do we do, then?" I asked helplessly.

Mom sighed. "You should wake Max. I'm sure she'll know what to do about it."

I nodded and ran toward Max's bedroom and pounded on the door. There were groans and footsteps before the door creaked open. Max stood there, her eyes mostly closed, her hair a mess around her head. She glared at me.

"What do you want?" she spat. Max sure was surly in the morning.

"There's a guy in the house looking for the owner of a feather the size of a human forearm," I stated. Max jumped awake.

"Give me five seconds." With that she slammed the door shut in my face. There was rustling as I assumed Max switched from half-asleep to moderately-presentable. I walked back into the living room where Mom was handing a steaming cup to Dr. Blacock. She gave me a look that asked me if I had done my job. I gave a nearly imperceptible nod.

I had to tell Iggy. Max was sure to kill him when she found out, so it was best if he was warned beforehand. I went back down the hallway and was about to knock on his door when it swung open and a strong hand pulled me inside and closed the door again, too fast for me to really register or respond.

"Who's in here?" he demanded.

"Some guy with one of _your_ feathers!" I said in the same panicked tone. "And _agh_!"

"Sorry," he said, still agitated, "but what's the guy doing with that?"

I shrugged, looking helplessly around me, as if the answer would be there. "I don't know," I finally answered. "I guess maybe it fell off when you went out yesterday and he found it!"

Iggy slammed his fist against the wall. "Crap," he hissed. "Why didn't I think of that? Max was right. I should have just stayed inside."

"Iggy, it's fine, you needed to—" I tried to say, but he continued talking, his anger growing with every sentence.

"What the hell was I thinking! How didn't I think of that! _Why am I such an idiot!_"

"Iggy!" I shouted. "Calm down!"

Almost as if someone had thrown a switch inside him, Iggy was instantly calm. "Alright," he said. "I'm calm."

I stared at him in confusion. What had just happened? How had he gone from being so angry to so calm that quickly? Usually it was next to impossible to get him to simmer down when he was really worked up about something.

"Um, alright," I continued finally. "Anyway, so we both know Max will most definitely try to kill you as soon as she's done with this Christopher Blacock guy, so you'd better prepare for that."

I strode past him and out of the room. Max was just closing her door behind her. She heard me coming and turned to face me.

"Is that guy still here?" she asked. I shrugged.

"As far as I know, yeah."

"Good," she said flatly. "Iggy is so dead. He went flying, didn't he?"

I stayed silent, looking straight forward.

"That's what I thought."

"Can we please talk about him later?" I asked. "I mean, I know it's, like, important that he learns his lesson to you and everything, but we kind of have more important things to worry about right now, like the world discovering your secret.

This time Max didn't say anything. I'd raised a better point and she knew it. I was almost proud of myself. I'd rendered Maximum Ride speechless.

My mom looked up as we rounded the corner. She beamed at Max. "Ah! Max, dear! This is Christopher Blacock."

Max didn't smile or nod at him. Rather, she glared daggers into his eyes. It almost made me shiver, the anger that was coming from that stare.

"What the hell are you doing in my house?" she demanded.

Dr. Blacock looked taken aback by Max's forwardness. "Pardon me?"

"Max!" Mom gasped.

"I said," she repeated, "what. The hell. Are. You. Doing. In. My. House." She said each word like it was a sentence of its own.

Dr. Blacock sputtered and stood up. "I'm trying to protect your family from whatever dropped _this_!" He tore the feather from his backpack. Max glared at it. I could almost hear the bitter _We don't need protection from our own family_ going through her mind.

"We don't need your help protecting this family," she spat. "Now get the hell out and don't come back!"

Mom was staring at Max, eyes wide, mouth open. Dr. Blacock huffed and stormed out of the house, slamming the front door shut behind him. Once he was gone for a minute, Mom finally broke the shocked silence.

"Maximum!" she gasped again. "I cannot believe you were so rude to that man!"

"He didn't belong here," she said flatly. "He was bad news. The sooner he gets away from us, the better."

"B-but," I stuttered, "couldn't he get, like, a story or something in the newspaper? Then the scientists could find you!"

"I don't think they'd believe him," Angel's melodic voice sang from somewhere in the room. She popped up from behind the couch where Dr. Blacock had been sitting.

"Angel?" Max said.

"Why wouldn't they believe him?" I asked her.

"Because he doesn't have any proof."

I was about to remind her of the feather when she reached behind her and pulled it forward. I beamed at her. "Angel! You're a lifesaver!"


	30. Chapter 28

**Kay, so I'm sitting here at my dining room table on Fang, my beautiful netbook, and eating tropical mixed jelly bellies. The grapefruit ones (a sort of pastel peachy-pink) are really yummy! 8D Anyway, I made you this chapter! Unfortunately now I have to work on my critique. But, don't worry, my lovelies. I shall create a new chapter for you AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!**

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Chapter Twenty-Eight**

**Iggy**

I dug the heels of my hands into my eyes. I still couldn't believe how stupid I'd been. I'd calmed down for a minute, but as soon as Ella had left, all the frustration had set in again. I sighed and flopped back on my bed. There was no sense beating myself up over something that had already happened. Seemed like some of the calm Ella had given me was still there.

A fist pounded loudly against my door. I moaned to myself. It was Max, here to tear my head off for not listening to her and putting the flock in danger. I got up off the bed and opened the door slowly, bracing for the verbal and, possibly, physical attack.

"What the hell were you thinking!" Max exclaimed the second I came into _her_ sight. "You could have killed us all!"

I sighed and ran a hand though my hair. "I know," I breathed. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thi—"

"You're right!" she interjected. "You _weren't_ thinking! If you had been thinking, you wouldn't have left this house in the first place!"

"I _know_," I repeated with more emphasis. "I got it, Max. I'm a dumbass. I'm sorry."

"Iggy, do you know how long it took for us to finally be able to have a remotely normal life?" she demanded, her anger building, moving quickly toward her peak, at which time she'd deflate and back off a bit. I knew. I'd paid attention.

"We've finally gotten the scientists off our back, maybe even for good! And you pick _now_ to screw everything up!"

"Max, I said I was sorry!" Several times, actually. "Can't we just—"

"No!" she interrupted again. "We can't just let it go! I'm done with all the experimentation crap, Iggy! I'm done with being treated like a lab rat! I'm done with everything we escaped from! Do you want to go back there? Do you want to be tested on again? Is that your problem?"

"No! I don't want that!" You weren't allowed to agree with her, either. If you did, she just stayed at the same level of mad. If you argued, it built faster, meaning it peaked faster, meaning it ended faster. I should really make a pamphlet or something.

That is, if I knew how to write.

"Then why do you keep ignoring me! Why do you keep putting the flock in danger?" She was still yelling, but not as loudly. She was coming back down.

"No, Max. I don't want to put the flock in danger," I said at a regular decibel level. "I'm sorry. I don't want the scientist to come back, and I don't want the flock to get hurt. I didn't mean to make such a huge mess of everything."

"I…I just…" She was back down to normal now. She took a deep breath. "I don't want the same life for Little One." She sighed sadly and I grabbed her left hand with my right, squeezing it. "I have a family now, Iggy. A real, _real_ family. Before, you guys were my family. And you still are! But…I have a husband now. And a baby. I…I just want what's…what's best for them."

"I know," I repeated. "I'm sorry I did what I did. I didn't want to hurt anyone. I guess I just…really wanted to get out. I hate being stuck in here all the time. You know?"

I could hear the slight smile on her lips when she said, "Yeah, I do know."

"Then why don't we just…just go?" I asked bluntly. "Why don't we go back to Colorado where we can do whatever we want to?"

She was definitely smiling now. "You know, what? That actually sounds really good."

Max had called a Flock-Plus-Dr.-M-And-Ella meeting. We were all assembled on the couches or floor in the living room. I'd happened to get there early, so I was happily situated on the couch with Ella comfortably beside me. I squeezed her hand and she squeezed it back tensely, telling me that she was worried about something.

"So?" Gaz asked finally. "What's this meeting about?"

"Well," Max started dramatically, "I've been thinking, we've been trapped here in the suburbs for an awfully long time. And, maybe now's as good a time as ever to go back to Colorado. That way we can be free to do whatever we want!"

"Um…" Angel muttered from the floor by my feet, "I don't know if that would…"

"See, we kinda forgot to tell you…" Gaz continued.

"We can't go back to Colorado," Fang summarized shortly.

"What? Why not?" Max demanded, upset to see her idea shot down, possibly for the first time.

"Well, when we left, it was kind of for a reason," Angel said.

"Yeah. It kind of…" Gaz paused, as if looking for the word. "It blew up."

I "stared" at them in shock. "It blew up!" I repeated incredulously.

"It blew up!" Max repeated again. "What do you mean, _'it blew up'_!"

"Our house in Colorado blew up," Fang said. "It got bombed."

"Why didn't you tell me!" Max was essentially hysterical now.

"Because, you were already so stressed out with Little One on the way, we didn't want to worry you," Angel said. She sounded upset. "We're sorry, Max. We just didn't want to worry you."

Max groaned. "Well then, what are we supposed to do?"

"I don't know," Fang said, groaning slightly, too."

"We could just stay here," Angel suggested.

Max seemed to consider this. "It's an option," she said. Then she changed her mind and said, "I've —_ we've _already extended our stay way to long. We can't just stay here and live with my mom. _We have to keep moving_!"

"I don't want to go back on the run," Nudge said sadly.

"I like it here," Gazzy agreed. "Plus, your mom doesn't seem to mind. And nobody's come after us."

"Not even Jeb!" Angel added.

The entire room went completely silent. Nobody had told Angel about Jeb yet.

"Angel, sweetie," Max said softly and slowly. "Jeb…won't be coming back for us." I could see the look of confusion on Angel's face. How do you explain to an 11-year-old that the guy she'd almost considered her father had been dead for over a year, and nobody told her?

"He's gone, Angel," I said simply, getting it over with. "_Gone_ gone. Dead."

Angel let out a small little gasp and I got washed with guilt. But I didn't want to deal with it in front of everyone here, so I got up and left the room. Ella jumped off the couch and shouted after me. I ignored her (as much as it must have hurt her) and kept walking until I got to my room and slammed the door.

It flew back open as Ella barged in. "What is your problem!" she demanded. I paced around my room in circles, running my hands through my hair.

"I don't know!" I said back. "I'm just…I don't know!"

"I can't believe you just told her that!" she continued to burst. She was getting increasingly angry. "I mean, somebody had to tell her, sure, but did you have to be so _blunt_!"

My anger was climbing steadily with hers. "I don't know! It just came out, okay!"

"Not okay!" Ella shouted. "She was _upset_! She was crying when I left! You may not be able to see it, but the rest of us do! We know what you leave in your wake of…of…BITCHY ATTITUDE!"

I went silent, though my blood was still boiling. Ella took a few deep breaths.

"Iggy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that," she said calmly. I shook my head.

"No," I disagreed. "Your right."

I was a total man-bitch.


	31. Chapter 29

Okay, wow. So, I've actually finally caught up to myself. Good job, me! :D Anyway, I'd really like to thank A Scarlet Rebel for all of their amazing reviews! Thanks so much. They really inspired me. So anyway, I wrote this chapter up for you. It's really good. XD I would know.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

**Ella**

I watched Iggy sit down on his bed, head dropped to his knees in defeat. I knelt in front of him, trying to see his face.

"Iggy?" I asked softly. "Are you okay? I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

He shook his head, ruffling his soft, feather-like hair.

"I didn't mean to say what I did," I repeated. "It just…slipped out." Just like what he'd said had slipped out, too. "I'm sorry I got angry. I'm just…tired. And stressed out." He kept his head down, seemingly ignoring me. "Iggy? Please say something to me."

He mumbled something. I didn't hear it, but I was happy to finally have gotten a response from him.

"What?" I asked eagerly.

"I'm sorry for screwing all this up."

I paused. "Screwing all what up?"

"This." He gestured to his head. "Everything you've been working at. I'm sorry."

"Oh, Iggy," I sighed, throwing myself at him. He back up in surprise, but caught me. "Don't be sorry about that! You've made _so_ much improvement. You've gone _so_ far! I'm _proud _of you. You haven't messed _anything_ up!"

"But…" he muttered. I cut him off.

"But nothing. You're perfect to me. I love you, Iggy."

I almost covered my mouth with my hand when I said I love you. I had been just about to when, surprisingly, Iggy answered.

"I love you, Ella," he said, pulling me away from his body so he could crash his lips against mine. Everything I felt was so conflicting the second our lips met. I felt confusion, and joy, and sadness, and anger.

And, I felt lust.

Lots of lust.

And I realized that what I was feeling wasn't my emotions at all.

They belonged to Iggy.

I gasped, pulling away from him. "What?" he said, surprised.

"Iggy, I can feel your emotions," I said dazedly. "I mean, I think I can, at least."

Iggy stood up, and I nearly fell to the ground. "_Really?_" he asked. I nodded. He grabbed my hands tightly in his. "What am I feeling right now?"

"I…I don't know," I confessed. "It seemed to really happened when you kissed me."

Iggy bent down toward me and his lips crashed against mine like a wave. I felt the emotions hitting me again, though they weren't nearly as overwhelming this time.

"Excitement!" I gasped when he finally pulled away. I grabbed a breath and added, "But also sadness. Down behind the excitement."

Iggy stared wide eyed for a moment, then grabbed my hands and dragged me down the hall and back into the living room, where Max was still sitting.

"Max!" he exclaimed she turned around and gave him a disdainful look.

"Look who it is," Fang said. "Come to crush more innocent 11-year-olds, Iggy?"

"This isn't about me!" he protested, frustration tainting his words. "It's about Ella! She can feel my emotions."

"Poor girl," Max said, not looking at us anymore. "I'd hate to be stuck in a head as hateful as yours."

"Max!" I said, pulling out of Iggy's arms so I could stand in front of her. I looked at her face with fire in my eyes and I wanted to hit her. I'd never wanted to hit anyone in my life. "Stop it!" I said finally. "This isn't about picking on Iggy! He's telling the truth! I _can_ feel his emotions!"

"Uh huh," Max said, ignoring me. I felt my hands clench.

"Look at me!" I shouted at her. My hand did move this time and it connected squarely with her cheek, making a satisfying slap. Max held her cheek where I'd hit her and stared at me, mouth gaping. I mirrored her expression, staring at her face where my hand had just been. Suddenly, my hands flew up to my mouth and I took a few steps back. I couldn't believe what I'd done.

"Omigosh, I'm so sorry!" I blurted from behind my hands, each word coming out at rocket speed. "I'm so, so sorry!"

Max was still staring at me. She seemed unable to form any words. I looked over at Iggy, but he was useless, only staring at me with the same shocked expression.

Just then, Fang spoke, saving my life.

Again.

"She must feel his feelings," he stated. "She'd never be able to build up the rage to slap you, otherwise."

I could see that Max was coming out of her shock now and staring at me angrily. I swallowed back fear and sprinted out of the room and into the bathroom, slamming the door closed and locking it. For good measure, I sat down on the floor in front of it, forming a human barricade.

I was so _dead_.


	32. Chapter 30

**Aww. This is a shorty. It's okay, though. I'll go get you a new one! I was out swimming with my friend (see _I'd Like To Apologize In Advance_) all afternoon and now my brain is dead from the water and chlorine. :(**

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Chapter Thirty**

**Iggy**

"Well, that's just fantastic," I muttered as I heard a door slam shut. "Now see what you've done!"

"Don't yell at me! It wasn't _my_ fault!" Max protested. I rolled my sightless eyes and put my hands on my hips.

"Yeah, it kind of is," I disagreed. "If you'd just listened instead of being a thick-headed psycho, you wouldn't have deserved to be slapped and so nobody would have done so."

"I didn't deserve to be slapped!" Max shrieked.

"Yes, you did!" I shouted back. "We were trying to tell you that Ella can feel my emotions and you just—"

"So she really can, then?" Fang asked, speaking up for the first time. I nodded.

"Yes, she really can! And you just ignored us!" I continued, still speaking to Max. "_That_'s why Ella slapped you! Because I wanted to slap you, and she doesn't have the self-restraint. _That'_s why she's locked in the bathroom right now! _That_'s why…" I broke off and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. It came away wet.

"Iggy, are you okay?" Max asked slowly.

"Yeah, dude. It's not that big a deal," Fang said. "No need to cry over it."

"I'm not crying!" I shouted, my voice catching in my throat and disproving me. I turned my back on Max and Fang. _What the hell was happening to me!_

"Iggy?" Max's hand was on my shoulder. "Iggy, are you okay? We're sorry. We didn't mean to upset you."

I felt betrayed and hurt and scared, even though I had no reason to feel any of these. I just wanted to scream and let it all out.

"Iggy, it's okay," Fang said. His hand was on my shoulder now, too. He didn't sound as concerned as Max. In fact, I was pretty sure he was mocking me.

"I'm fine!" I snapped, leaving the room. "God! Just get off my back!" I stomped out of the room and slammed my bedroom door shut. I dropped rocklike on my bed. What was wrong with me? Why was I so upset over nothing?

I jumped up and stalked toward the bathroom door.


	33. Chapter 31

**Okay, there. Now you have two. Are you happy? I sure hope so. I am. My head is starting to un-fog now. I wish I had more popcorn. I ate all of mine D: Anyway, chapter. Like it. Thankz. Still appreciate reviews.**

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Chapter Thirty-One**

**Ella**

I sat there on the cold linoleum floor, head buried in my knees, until there was a sharp knock on the door. I sucked in a breath and held it, willing myself to disappear.

"Ella?" a sharp voice said. It wasn't Max's, thankfully. It was Iggy.

"I'm not in here," I answered stupidly. My cover was blown.

"Yes, you are. You just answered me," Iggy said. I could see him rolling his eyes. "Stop being ridiculous and come outside."

"I don't want to come outside," I wined into my knees. "I'm going to stay in here forever."

"Where will you sleep?" he asked.

"On the bathmat."

"What will you do all day?"

"I'll clean up." I'd already thought of everything. "People can use the other bathroom, because this one's mine."

"How will you eat?"

Okay, so maybe I forgot something.

"I don't want to come out," I said, avoiding the question.

"Ella, unlock this door right now," he said firmly. "Open it or I'll knock it down. I swear, Ella. I will."

I thought about this. He probably could if he really wanted to. I sighed and turned the lock on the door. Iggy stepped inside, closed it, and locked it again, sitting down on the linoleum across from me. I looked at his face. He wasn't facing me deliberately. He was avoiding my gaze. I could just see the tear streaks on his pronounced cheekbones.

"Iggy?" I asked cautiously. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he snapped. I winced, his tone cutting me like a knife.

"I-I'm sorry," I whispered. He sighed.

"Something's wrong with me."

I stared at him. "What do you mean?

"I mean, there's something wrong with me. I got mad at Max for scaring you off," he said. I was about to say that that sounded normal when he continued. "Then I started to…get upset."

"Get upset how?" I asked suspiciously. He bit down on his cheek.

"Get upset like…I kind of…"

"You cried, didn't you?" I asked, a grin sneaking onto my lips.

"Hey, I'm a man!" he exclaimed, obviously not about to confess he'd been crying. "Men don't cry!"

"Sure they don't," I said, resting a hand on his lap. "Well, I can feel your emotions, so maybe you can feel mine, and I was really upset in here, so I guess it was my fault you reacted that way." I paused and let my head fall on my chest guiltily. "Don't be mad at me?"

He sighed and pulled me against him. "I can't stay mad at you. You're too cute."

"But you can't see me…"

"Exactly."

I sat there puzzled, but dropped it and just snuggled against Iggy's strong chest. We sat in silence for a while, just enjoying each other's presence.

"How long before it's safe to leave?" I asked finally.

"As long as it keeps you in my arms?" he clarified. "Never."

I grinned. I knew I was in love with Iggy. He was funny, and sweet, and _really_ cute. I wouldn't mind just sitting here and being with him.

Unfortunately there was a loud knock on the door.

"Okay, Ella? Iggy? I'm sorry. Unlock the door, please," Max said.

"No!" Iggy exclaimed.

"Why not?" Max asked, getting increasingly annoyed at our refusal. "I apologized and everything!"

"Because we're enjoying the privacy," Iggy explained. He kissed my collarbone. "At least we were until you interrupted us!"

"What are you guys doing in there, anyway?" she asked.

"Making bird babies," he said, nuzzling his nose deep into the hallow of my neck, and I choked back a laugh.

"Oh, God, Iggy!" Max shouted. "You're so mature! God!"

I heard her storm away. When she was safely out of range, I laughed loudly. " 'Making bird babies'?" I gasped. "Oh, jeez! Oh, Iggy! You're…you're…"

"The best guy to ever walk the earth?" he supplied smugly. I breathed for a second, catching my breath.

"Yeah, that's it," I said sarcastically.

He grinned and nuzzled my neck with his nose. "You know you love it," he murmured.

"Yeah," I agreed on a sigh. I really did.


	34. Chapter 32

**Okay. Quick disclaimer: No, this story is NOT, I repeat _NOT_ turning into a Niggy fic. I swear. Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye (Tee hee! Foreshadowing! XD) Anyway, please don't yell at me for this. Well, you could, I guess, if you really want to. It's not going to make me shrivel up and die or anything.**

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Chapter Thirty-Two**

**Nudge**

I skipped into the living room where Max and Fang were sitting on the couch, staring at each other.

Married people act weird.

"Hey, Max!" I said anyway. She looked up at me and smiled, though I could see the pain beneath it.

"Hi, Nudge," she said. "What's up?"

"Have you guys seen Iggy lately?" I asked.

"Yeah, he's locked in the bathroom with Ella," she answered, going back to staring at Fang.

I bit down on my lip. "He's…locked in the bathroom…with …_Ella?_" I hissed.

"Uh huh."

I smiled harshly, and it looked more like I was baring my teeth. "Thanks, Max. See you later."

"Bye," she said distractedly.

I stormed out of the room and back to my own. I slammed the door shut and flopped down on my bed. That treacherous, blind snake! I couldn't believe him. I thought that we'd had something. He'd always talked to me when he had problems. Maybe I didn't _help_, but I _listened_ to him! We'd even almost kissed one time!

Ella was a nice girl and all, but she should stick to her own breed. She didn't deserve a guy as amazing as Iggy.

I felt betrayed. I felt like someone had cut open my chest and ripped out my heart, leaving an empty, gaping hole in its place. I thought that what Iggy and I had was special. But as it turned out, he'd just been another man-whore and run off with another girl.

I started to sob on my bed. I'd always figured that he didn't show his love to me because I was too young. But Ella was the same age as me! And he'd gone off and dated her anyway! And now they were doing God-knows-what on the bathroom floor, and Max didn't even give a shit!

The whole flock was against me. I hated being me.

"Iggy's mine," I said to myself. "I will have him."

I would get rid of Ella and get Iggy back, and I wouldn't be merciful. You stomp on Nudge's heart, she stomps yours back. Harder.

I got my bloodlust from Max.

I'd made a perfect voodoo doll using some of Angel's old Barbies that she never played with anymore. It had long black hair and fairly tanned skin. I methodically stuck needles I'd found in Dr. M's sewing room into the Ella doll in the soft, flickering light of the circle of candles I'd put together. It hadn't been easy. I'd poked myself all over by accident, what with the whole Atract-Metal-To-My-Skin-Without-Trying thing. I'd just about covered the whole doll with the tiny torture devices when I heard someone on the other side of the door. My head whipped up on my neck, leaving me just enough time to notice the doorknob turning and shove the Ella doll behind me.

"Hey, Nudge," Fang said, coming into the room. "Max was wondering what you were up to, so—" He broke off and stared at my candles. "What's up with the candle circle?"

"N-nothing!" I said. "Th-the p-power just went out!"

Fang looked at me sceptically. "There's power in all the other rooms."

"Yeah, well, it went out in here, okay!" I said. Fang raised an eyebrow, but turned for the door.

"Okay, whatever," he said. "Bye."

When his footsteps were safely out of range, I pulled out my Ella doll again and continued to stab it.


	35. Chapter 33

**Oh, my God, I need a life. I've given you these two chapter today, and, like, three yesterday. Ugh. Save me from the pathetic hole in the ground that is my free time. Oh well. CARPE DIEM!**

**Why did I just holler Carpe Diem, you might be wondering? Well, you see, that's how to live, my friends. We must seize the day. We must make the most of what we have! We must live life to the fullest!**

**See what I mean? I'm a total waste of space. Just do yourself a favour and read the chapter.**

**

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Chapter Thirty-Three**

**Iggy**

Ella and I stayed locked in the bathroom for a while longer, neither one of us wanting to leave the other. I loved the feeling of having Ella's body pressed to mine so intimately. It was like, it just fit there, like a puzzle piece.

Eventually, though, all good things come to an end.

I heard Ella's stomach growl and I smiled, running one of my hands through her silky hair. "You're hungry," I noted. She remained still for a moment, then nodded against my chest. I laughed softly. "What time is it?"

"One seventeen," she said. I slid her off my lap and stood up, all parts of me cracking and aching from sitting so long. After I'd straightened out, I reached down and helped Ella up, too.

"C'mon," I said, pulling her against me again. "Let's face the hungry flock."

She shifted uncomfortably in my arms. "I don't wanna, though," she protested feebly. I grinned and squeezed her.

"Come _on_. It'll be easier if we work as a team."

"But they're mad at me," she whimpered. I supressed the urge to roll my eyes.

"No, only Max is mad at you," I corrected. She stiffened, so I added, "And I bet even she's over it now."

Ella sighed. "Alright. Let's go."

I smiled and dragged her out of our safe zone and back into the real world. We snuck into the kitchen without detection and started on lunch. We put some pb and j sandwiches together; not our most creative meal, but it was fine.

I jumped up on the counter and Ella joined me, weaving her fingers in mine.

"Do you think we'll ever be like Max and Fang?" she asked. I laughed and answered before thinking it through.

"No way!" I sensed Ella's sadness at my answer. "I mean, I'm just not that kind of person. I've always sort of thought that I'd never get any farther then a one-night stand."

She got off the counter angrily. Damn. _Think your sentences through, Iggy! _I'd screwed up and was in desperate need of a quick-fix. I jumped down and grabbed her in my arms from behind, imprisoning her in my grasp. I bent down and whispered in her ear, "But then I found you. And you're _definitely_ not a one night stand."

"But…" she stuttered. I shook my head and spun her around, bringing her soft lips up to mine in a gentle kiss.

"But nothing. I…I…" _Come on, Iggy,_ I prompted myself. _You can do this._ "Ella, I…I love you."

There. I'd finally said it. Now she knew. I just hope she knew how much I meant it.

"Really?" she whispered. I held her as close to me as I could.

"Really. I love you more than anything." After I'd said it the first time, it was much easier to say it afterward. Maybe I just had to convince myself.

"I love you, too, Iggy," she said. I smiled. I never thought I'd hear all those words in the same sentence. If you'd told me a few months ago that I'd have a girl fall madly in love with me, I'd have laughed in your face.

"Have you two finally unlocked yourselves?" Angel asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Yes," Ella answered.

"And um…" Angel paused awkwardly. "Were you guys actually…you know…doing what you said to Max when she asked?"

"No," Ella answered again.

"Okay," Angel said happily, and I heard her skip off. Turned back to Ella and caressed her cheeks in my hands.

"Sorry I made you upset," she said.

"Sorry I embarrassed you in front of your half-sister," I said.

"Sorry for making us leave because of my stomach."

I grinned. Two could play at this game.

"Sorry I made you infer that I thought you were a one night stand."

"Sorry I took it the wrong way."

I rested my hands on the sides of her face. "Sorry for not telling you I loved you sooner."

"Sorry for thinking that you weren't telling me because you actually didn't."

I paused. "You didn't think I loved you?" I asked her hesitantly, breaking our chain of apologies. She blushed a fierce red, like she'd been caught.

"No," she lied quickly. I sighed and hugged her tightly against me, holding her head against my chest.

"I'm sorry I made you think that," I continued. She wrapped her hands around my waist.

"I'm sorrier," she said. I smirked.

"No, _I'm_ sorrier."

"Nope," she said firmly. "I am."

"Not possible. I am."

"I am."

"I am."

"I am."

I lifted her chin and kissed her hard. When I finally pulled away, she was gasping for air. I rested my forehead against hers and smiled.

"I'm _not_ sorry for that."


	36. Chapter 34

**Okay, so I have to write this mystery for school and I'm going to die of boredom and impending failure writing it, so I'll probably be a little slower for, like, a few days to a week writing it, kay? Sorry. I'll give you guys a link when I'm done, if you want. I'll probably post it on fictionpress. Anyway, enjoy the story for the time-being and I'll get back to you on my progress.**

**

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Chapter Thirty-Four**

**Ella**

I'd always had that one dream. The one that every little girl has. Even Max, I'd bet, because she was currently living that dream. The one with that gorgeous boy who loves you for exactly who you are, your perfect wedding, etcetera. With every boy I'd ever liked, I'd imagined our wedding, our cozy little house out in the country, our children running around on the floor. But with Iggy, I don't know. I'd never really thought about it. I'd just sort of…let everything happen without really putting much thought into it

It still hurt to know that I might never have that with him.

Not that I really ever figured I would. When I really put my thoughts into it, it didn't really make sense. Iggy wasn't exactly a Settle-Down-And-Have-A-Family type of guy. He was more of a Screw-Around-And-Hope-It-Works-Out kind of person.

"Ella?" My mom called, breaking though my thoughts. I jumped off the couch automatically.

"Yeah?" I called back.

"I'm going shopping!" she informed me. "Would you like to come?"

"Sure," I called. I needed to go and just get out of the house for a change. I was getting a little stir crazy.

I slid on my shoes and headed out the door. My mom was already waiting for me by the car. I stepped eagerly out the door—

Only to be suddenly drenched by a bucket-full of water. My mother jumped and ran toward me.

"Oh, my goodness! Ella!" she said in a typical Mom tone. "Are you alright? Where did that water come from?"

I waved her off and ran a hand through my soaking hair. "It's fine," I said with a light grin. "_I'm_ fine. I was pretty hot anyway." I laughed and Mom joined me hesitantly.

"Well if you're sure," she said. I smiled again.

"It's fine, really. I'm okay," I said. "You go on without me. I have to go change now, anyway, and I don't want to keep you waiting."

"Well, alright, honey," she said. She turned and headed for the car. "I'll back soon. Go and dry off."

I waved after her. "I'll will, Mom. Drive safe, okay?" Once she started the car and pulled out of the driveway, I headed back into the house. I'd gotten very wet from that little episode.

"Ella?" Iggy said as I passed by the kitchen doorway. I looked inside.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay? I heard you yell," he said. I grinned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said for the millionth time. "I just got a little wet."

"Is it raining outside? I don't hear it," he asked, sounding confused. I tried to think of a possible explanation to give to him.

"No," I said finally. "I think one of the kids was upstairs and they must have poured some water out the window. No worries. It was probably just a harmless prank."

"Well, okay," Iggy agreed finally.

"I'm gonna go change, okay?" I called, walking back toward my room. "I'll dry off and then we can work on throwing together dinner, right?"

He said something, but I couldn't hear him. I decided to just let it go and got changed into some dry clothes. It was finally Jeans-And-Sleeves weather, almost Christmas time. Once I was re-dressed in some dry clothes, I headed for the bathroom to blow-dry my hair. That took all of five minutes.

When I was fully dry again, I walked back into the kitchen to meet up with Iggy, only to find that the room was empty. I headed back out and into the living room. He was there, his lanky body sprawled out on the couch, one leg draped over the back of the couch, and one arm resting across his face, plugged into his MP3.

"Nice," I said to myself, laughing quietly. I walked over to him and sat on the arm of the couch by his foot. The motion alerted him of my arrival and he pulled his headphones off. "I thought we were making dinner," I said.

"I already told you, we can't," he said, and I realized that must have been what he'd been saying after I'd left.

"Why was that again?" I asked shyly, feeling like an idiot.

"Because you're mom's out getting the groceries, and until she comes back, we have, like, zero food."

It wasn't surprising that we were out of food again. The flock ate so much that we usually had to go shopping at least three times a week for more food.

"Oh," I said. "Well then, what do you want to do 'til she gets back?"

He smiled coyly and I was suddenly concerned for my well-being. It was never good when he smiled like that.

Thankfully (I guess), Max walked in just then. She was soaking and frazzled-looking. I smiled at her.

"Did the water angels get you, too?" I asked sweetly. Her brow furrowed with confusion.

"The what?" she asked. I opened my mouth to say more, but she interrupted me. "Never mind. The washing machine exploded again. I need you to come fix it."

Ah, life with the flock. Never a dull moment.


	37. Chapter 35

**I'm dying :( My head feels like it weighs a million pounds. My stupid best friend and her stupid germs. Anyway. Enjoy while I go off and suffer. Sorry for the extra-long wait. I've been working really hard on my mystery. It's pretty much done now, though (I did it last night on my laptop while I was babysitting) and I should have the final copy done by, like, Wednesday, depending on how soon I get it back.**

**

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Chapter Thirty-Five**

**Nudge**

So my Soak-Ella-And-Ruin-Her-Oh-So-Perfect-Hair plan had failed. Oh well. Back to the drawing board, I guess. It was only my first attempt at making people suffer for their misdeeds, and for a first go, I thought it went pretty well.

I flopped back on my bed and sighed. How was I supposed to come up with a new plan? That one had been ingenious! Or, at least, it would have been if Ella had hair like mine that took hours to straighten in the morning.

It was time to face the facts. I was no good at pranking.

Of course, there were _some_ in the flock who were…better than I was.

"So, what if we fill her dinner with Laxatives, and she has to excuse herself from the table, and then she has this explosive—"

'Oh, God, Gazzy!" I said. "Ew. No. I just want to make her suffer! God, you're so immature!"

He looked down and mumbled, "I thought it was a good idea."

"Let's think more _Ella_ suffering," I suggested. Gazzy and I were essentially on the same page. At least, I figured, we ought to be, because Ella stole my boyfriend_ and_ Gazzy best friend. And you can't just take something like that lying down.

"Okay, so how about we try this," he suggested, pulling out some blueprints from his dresser drawer. "I've been saving this for a special occasion."

I skimmed over the plans. When I'd gotten the just of his idea, I looked up at him, beaming.

"Gazzy, this is pure genius!"

I got to work in my bedroom, making the ammunition for Gazzy's plan. When I looked up finally, I realized that Angel was standing in the doorway. I let out a small yelp.

"Angel!" I gasped, trying to shove the bowl behind me. "W-what are you doing in here?"

"It's my room, too," she reminded me coldly. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing."

"Why would you plot against Ella? She's never done anything to you."

I felt my blood boiling. "Stay out of my head!" I screeched. "And she has, too." I looked back at my work. "She needs to learn that if you take things from me, I will get even."

"What are you getting even for!" Angel demanded impatiently, slamming the door.

"She stole Iggy from me," I said. Angel's jaw dropped.

"_What_?" she gasped. "Stole Iggy from…_what_? That doesn't make sense."

"How does it not make sense?" I asked. "It's simple. Iggy was mine, and then that little whore used her whore mind-tricks to sway him away from me"

"What have you been drinking, stupid juice?" she asked. "That's crazy. You and Iggy were never together."

"No, _that's_ crazy. Anyone with half a brain could know that Iggy and I were together until Little Miss Perfect bounced in."

"Oh, for God's sake," she said, opening the door and, obviously, forgetting what she'd come in for. "Well, just…don't get anyone hurt, okay?"

I ignored her. I had ammunition to prepare.


	38. Chapter 36

**I'm sorry I'm a lazy ass. I need to update more often. I'm going grad dress shopping tomorrow, which _should_ be fun. I emphasize should because I'm shopping with my mom and grandma and it could quite possibly be hell. Wish me luck.**

**

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Chapter Thirty-Six**

**Ella**

We'd finished dinner early. A simple pasta/salad combination. So we'd just left it and gone to _my_ room to chat. I'd decided it was time for a change. So now Iggy was sprawled out on my bed and I was sprawled out similarly on my floor.

I know what you must be wondering: "Ella, why are you lying on your own floor and Iggy's on your bed?" Well, the answer is simple:

Iggy got there first.

We stayed like that in silence for a while, until Iggy finally spoke up.

"Are you mad at me?" he said quietly. I looked over at him.

"What? No, why?" I asked. "Should I be?"

"No. I don't know. Maybe," he sputtered. "I mean, you seemed kinda mad at me earlier when I said the stuff about not being like Max and Fang. I don't know." He broke off. "Are you?"

"Um…no, not really. I mean, I was a little disappointed at first, but, I guess…"

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to upset you. But, I guess, I don't know. I'm just not really…wanting that sort of thing. Not right now."

Again, we fell back into silence. It had gone from perfectly comfortable to completely awkward. I chewed my lip for a minute, clawing through my mind for something to say. Finally, I checked the time.

"We should probably go feed the flock," I suggested. Iggy rolled off the bed and onto his feet.

"Yeah," he mumbled. "Good idea."

We served dinner and sat around the table with the flock and my mom. Although we sat beside each other, neither of us uttered a word. I saw Max's eyes flicker to us for a second, as if evaluating us, then starting up a conversation. After dinner, we brought our plates out, and headed off to our after-dinner activities. Just as I was leaving the kitchen, my mom pulled me aside.

"Ella, can we talk?" she asked. I looked at her sceptically at first, then shrugged. She pulled me off to her room and sat down on the bed, patting the spot beside her.

"What's up, Mom?" I asked, going for curiosity. She gave me her usual sweet, sad smile.

"What, a mother can't want to talk to her own daughter every once and a while?" she asked playfully. I shifted, smiling back.

"Okay, then what do you want to talk about?"

She sighed. "What's going on between you and Iggy?" she asked, getting straight to the point. I furrowed my brow.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, you two used to be stuck together like glue," she said. "But now it seems like your almost avoiding each other. So I was wondering, what's going on?"

I turned my head away from her, pretending to be fascinated by the floral bedspread. "It's nothing, Mom," I said evasively. "I don't really want to talk about it, okay?"

"Honey, you know you can tell me anything, right?" she said, putting a hand on my arm. I shrugged it off.

"I know that, Mom. I'm not trying to hide anything from you, it's just…" I paused, looking for the right words to describe it. "It's just silly teenage stuff, Mom. You wouldn't understand."

She laughed. "You know, I was young once, too. What's bothering you?"

"It's just that…I don't know. Iggy said that he doesn't really want to settle down and have, y'know, a real life," I said hesitantly. I looked at Mom's face. She had a slight frown.

"Well, Ella, honey, you know Iggy hasn't had much of a normal life himself," she said, like each word was putting tiny dents in her delicate heart. She smiled that same sad smile. "Give him a chance, honey. I'm sure he'll come around. In the meantime, just show him how much you care about him, and you'll be just fine."

I looked up at my mom. "Okay," I agreed. "Thanks, Mom."

"I'm glad we talked, honey." She hugged me tightly. "I love you very much."

I smiled. "I love you, too, Mom."


	39. Chapter 37

**Okay, so I'm ridiculously lazy. That's why I haven't posted for 2+ weeks. I haven't even touched my laptop for one of those. So, please forgive me. I'm almost done, maybe 5 or 6 more chapters. So please, just bear with me for that amount of time.**

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Chapter Thirty-Seven**

**Iggy**

Ella and I weren't talking and people were getting suspicious. I knew because I'd heard Dr. M. pull Ella aside earlier. She was probably getting another talk from her mother, which I was pretty certain would be hard on her. Since Ella and I weren't talking, nobody else was talking to me.

There was really only one thing to do in that kind of situation.

As much as I regretted it, I found myself standing in front of Max's bedroom door. I already knew that I _wanted_ to talk to her, sort of. The question was could I actually do it. Not that I'm trying to sound mean or anything, but to be perfectly honest (as Ella would have it) Max scares me shitless. And after the episode with her and Ella, I wasn't even too sure _she'd_ want to talk to _me_.

Before I could think it through any more, I was knocking against the door. It opened, sending a whoosh of air in my face.

"Iggy?" Max said. "What are you doing here?"

I sighed. I knew before I said anything that it was going to sound ridiculously stupid. "Max, I want to talk to…er, _with_ you."

"_You_ want to talk with _me_?" she asked, both sceptical and smug. I rolled my sightless eyes at her.

"Yeah, that's what I said," I confirmed, losing patience.

"Is this about you and Ella avoiding each other?"

I winced as the words sliced through me. "Yes," I said.

"Good," she said warmly. "I wanted to talk to you about it anyway."

She walked back into the room and I hesitantly followed her. I still couldn't believe that, of all the people in this house, I had gone to _Max_. I honestly thought she had it out for me. And the fact the she was actually willing to talk to me was even more surprising.

"So," she said when I sat down on the bed. "What's going on?"

"She's mad at me," I said. Well, she'd never actually _said_ that she was mad at me. But I could tell.

"Why is she mad at you?"

"Because I told her I don't want to be like you and Fang," I said. Speaking of which, I listened for breathing in the room. I could definitely hear Max's, and another one going in and out so quickly I knew that it had to be Little One. I suspected Max was holding him.

"What do you mean, 'Like me and Fang'?" she asked. I shrugged.

"I mean married with kids and being all happy and stuff," I said, feeling stupid just talking about it.

"Why not?" she asked, not sounding offended at all.

"Because…I don't know," I trailed off lamely. "I guess I just…you know…don't want to be like that. I _like_ being on the run. I _like_ going somewhere new every day. I hate being stuck in one place for too long."

Max sighed. "I hate to sound like my mom, but do you think maybe that's because that's all you've ever done your whole life? Been on the run? You've never really experienced being in one place for a long time."

I paused. As much as I hated to think it, she could be right. All my life, I'd been on the run. I'd been free to do basically whatever I wanted.

"Maybe the problem is that you're afraid of being tied down," she suggested. I could hear her coy smile when she said, "Iggy, do you have commitment issues?"

I bit down on my lip angrily. "Actually, Max, in case you haven't noticed, I really _do_. So, thanks for pointing that out for me." I moved to get up, but in a flash Max had me by the arm.

"Ig, don't go," she said. "I was only joking. Sorry. I didn't know it would bug you."

I let out the breath I'd held when she'd grabbed me and sat back down.

"Ella's a great girl," I said. "She deserves better…more than I can give her. Maybe I'm just not the right guy for her."

"I'm rolling my eyes, Iggy," she said, continuing the age old tradition of telling me what was going on. "You're awesome. You two will just have to compromise. You know, a little give and take."

I rolled my eyes back at her. "Yeah, I take it you and Fang have that all worked out?"

"Hell, yeah, we do," she said. I could hear her grin in her voice. "I'm not allowed to PMS at him anymore, and he's not allowed to go off with any more red-haired wonders."

I grinned. "Sounds like a good compromise to me," I agreed. "Now about that PMS thing. Does that apply to everyone? Or just him?"

Next thing I knew, I was sprinting out of the room with an angry Max on my tail, laughing my ass off.


	40. Chapter 38

**Yay! Almost done! Less reason for me to be lazy and not post. I'll post the last few chapters…eventually? Yeah. Please enjoy. I love your reviews.**

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Eight**

**Ella**

I took a single step out of my mom's room only to be thrown back in there by a rush of air as two forms ran by me. After I came out of the shock, I could hear Iggy laughing. I sighed and rolled my eyes. What had he done to bother Max now?

I stepped back into the hallway and followed their path. They were in the living room now. Max had tackled Iggy to the ground and was sitting on top of his stomach, pinning him down at the shoulders with both her hands.

"Take it back!" she demanded. Iggy shook his head defiantly.

"Never!" he hollered. I put my hands on my hips.

"What are you two doing?" I asked.

"Oh, Ella! Thank God you're here!" Iggy wailed. "Save me! Get her off of me! Don't let her take away my innocence!"

I stared at him. Max and I said simultaneously, "Your what?"

Fang walked in and stood beside me, holding Little One on his hip. The baby looked around until he saw his mother and reached for her, his hands clasping open and closed and screeching. "What's going on?" he asked slowly. I shrugged.

"Honestly, I don't really know," I said.

"Max! Don't do this! Not in front of your husband and child!" Iggy shouted. I looked at him. "I thought we were going to keep this to ourselves!"

I rolled my eyes at his melodrama and looked at Fang. He had his eyes closed and his chin on his chest. "So," I said, "how are you doing?"

"I'm…okay," he said. "Little One's been fussy and I was looking for Max."

I raised an eyebrow at him just as Gazzy walked in. "What's going on in here?" he asked me.

"I don't know," I answered honestly. Gazzy smirked and looked at Iggy.

"Hey, Ig!" he said. "Are you actually getting beat up by a girl?"

I gawked wide-eyed at him. He knew that he was being tackled by Max, right?

Apparently, Max was just as surprised, because she let off her grasp on Iggy to turn around and gape at him, too. That gave Iggy the opportunity to flip Max onto her back and pin her down, giving himself the upper hand. He smirked, hovering a few inches above her face.

"Ha!" he said. "What now?"

I was just as curious. What was the great Max's next move? If I hadn't been watching closely, I probably wouldn't have even seen her pull her leg in and knee Iggy in the groin. He toppled over and curled up.

"Ow," he moaned. I couldn't supress a laugh.

"There," Max said, jumping up and brushing off her torso. "A compromise."

"A what?" I asked, furrowing my brow with confusion.

"Nothing," Iggy hissed. Max smiled at the crumpled figure, then looked up at Fang. She walked up and took Little One from his arms.

"Hello, baby," she cooed. She walked back down the hall to her room.

Iggy was still on the ground. Gazzy was snickering beside me. I looked over at him helplessly.

"What do I do?" I breathed at him. He shrugged.

"Enjoy it while it lasts?"

I rolled my eyes, but I was smiling. "You're nice."

He grinned. "I know, right?"


	41. Chapter 39

**It's super short. I know. I'll post another chapter later.**

**The snow is finally gone! Hooray! Now it's just lovely mushy ground way over-filled with water. I think I've had about 5 birds run into the window. Most of them were okay, though. ;) It's supposed to be 21°C today. Maybe I'll go out and get some exercise. HA!**

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**Chapter Thirty-Nine**

**Iggy**

After my balls stopped throbbing from Max's escape manoeuvre and I could actually move again, Ella dragged me to my bedroom. I heard her flop down on the bed, making the springs creak. The blankets crinkled as she curled up into a ball. I smiled inwardly.

"You're bed is _soooo_ comfortable," she sighed. I rolled my eyes.

"I know," I agreed. "That's why it's _mine_."

She still slept in my bed on a regular basis. I knew that Max, and even Dr. M, sometimes, checked in on us frequently. But I didn't know what they were expecting. I wouldn't hurt or defile Ella. I couldn't do that to her. Still, if it made them feel better, then who was I to complain?

I changed into my pyjamas while Ella was off getting into hers. I was so tired and bored of being awake that I didn't even wait for her to get back before I was already sound asleep.

When I woke up, I could still feel Ella beside me. I was still exhausted. I idly wondered what ungodly hour I'd woken up at. It felt early, since I was so tired.

"Iggy?" Ella whispered. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah," I answered. "What time is it?"

The sheets crinkled as she rolled over to check the clock. "Like, four," she answered sleepily. She rolled back over and curled up against my chest. "I wish your bed was bigger."

I smiled and wrapped my arm around her. "Why? If it was bigger, then we wouldn't be able to get away with this." I kissed her forehead. She was warm.

"Is it okay with you if I go back sleep for now?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said. I closed my eyes and tried to fall back asleep, but couldn't. I could hear Ella breathing heavily (it couldn't really be called snoring) beside me I tried to slide out of bed without waking her up. It wasn't that hard. She slept like a rock when she wanted to. I tiptoed out of the room and into the living room. I felt around for the remote. After a couple minutes of searching, I couldn't find it, so I just turned on the TV manually and watched whatever was on.


	42. Chapter 40

**This one's a little better, huh? I went to this dance at my school and brought my friend, Liam. He's like my Phil. 8D I tricked him into dancing. Haha. It was actually really quite fun. AND NOBODY POURED SODA DOWN MY SHIRT THIS TIME!**

* * *

**Chapter Forty**

**Ella**

Once again, I was standing in front of my mirror, Max sitting on my bed, putting on and taking off dresses. I`d bought five, and still had thirty of my own. And I had to pick one for my graduation! I put on a brown one that hovered just over my knees. The sleeves hung just off my shoulders. I spun and looked at Max. Little One was two now. And he was talking up a storm. When I turned, my dress lifted up and fluttered mid-thigh. Little One giggled and clapped. I smiled at him and looked over at Max.

"What do _you_ think?" I asked her. She shrugged.

"It's okay," she said.

"I really like it," Angel said.

"I liked the one before it," Nudge said.

Oh, did I mention I got back up? With Max no good at giving an opinion, I decided the call in reinforcements with better fashion sense.

I smiled at the three and switched dresses. This one was red, went all the way down to my feet, and had small spaghetti straps and an empire waist. I swirled around. I mostly did it because Little One loved it. Angel clapped too.

"Oh, Ella, that one's beautiful!" she squealed. "Better than any of the other ones!"

"Angel's right," Nudge said. "It's really, _really_ pretty, Ella."

"I like it," Max said.

"I think we have a winner," I said, looking at myself if the mirror. I felt so pretty. I felt…beautiful.

I couldn't believe that this was finally happening. I was in the auditorium. Everything was decorated with blue and gold, the school colours. Including me, there were forty-two in my graduating class. I paced around backstage. It was really, really hot, especially with all the people. The lights were so bright I could hardly even see my mom and the flock in their seats. I felt lightheaded and sick to my stomach.

"Kali Lyon," the principle said. Kali squeezed my hand and walked out to the stage. She grabbed her diploma and shook the principle's hand. She muttered, "Congratulations" and called the next name.

My name.

"Ella Martinez," she called. I resisted the urge to throw up and, slowly, walked onto the stage. I grabbed my diploma, shook the principle's hand, and walked off the stage. I walked straight to Kali and Phil in a daze.

And then I collapsed into their arms, unconscious.

When I woke up again, I was back at home, sprawled in the living room on Iggy's lap, still in my dress. I sat up slowly.

"Oh," Iggy said, startled. I realized he'd been asleep and I'd woken him up when I'd moved.

"Hi," I said.

"Hi," he echoed warmly. He rubbed my waist. "Congratulations."

"Thanks," I said. "Oh, and thanks for coming."

He smirked. "Like I wouldn't come. Thanks for having so much faith in your boyfriend."

"Aha!" I exclaimed, jumping up. "So you admit it!"

He jumped up as well. "Admit what!"

"That you're my boyfriend."

"Were we still doubting that?" he asked. I shrugged.

"I dunno, but now we know for sure, right?"

"I guess so," he said, sitting back down on the couch. "I still can't believe that you fainted." He was smirking. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"You're not allowed to say that," I said. "It was hot. The heat got to me."

"Right," Iggy said, lying back.


	43. Chapter 41

**Oh, my God! This is it! This is the LAST CHAPTER! TToTT I'll miss this story! Well, I guess just enjoy it. I'll miss you guys. You've been so great to me. *Virtual hugs all readers* Thank you so much.**

Chapter Forty-One

**Iggy**

I rolled out of bed only to be greeted by the ridiculous August heat. I still secretly hoped that by some miracle I would get out of that stupid desert wasteland. I really just couldn't stand all the heat and lack of rain. I loved rain. Missed it really.

I trudged sleepily into the kitchen, expecting everyone to be asleep. Instead, I heard Max's voice, but no others to go with it. Curiously, I continued on. Slowly I started hearing the other voice, and I knew it. I stopped stiff in my tracks.

"So, how is Dylan doing?" the voice asked.

"He's dead," Max answered flatly.

The voice seemed taken aback. "Oh," it finally said. "That's too bad."

"Yeah," Max said snappily. "Guess that whole 'perfect other half' plan just didn't work out too well, huh?"

The voiced didn't have anything to say back to that.

"So, what are you doing here, Dr. Gunther-Hagan?"

"I knew it!" I hissed to myself.

"Good work, Sherlock," said another voice from behind me. I jumped.

"Damn it, Fang!" I exclaimed. "Twenty years and you still don't make a sound when you move!"

"Practise makes perfect," he said smugly. He passed me and headed for the front door to back up Max. I followed close behind him. Dr. GH seemed surprised at our arrival.

"I came to take you and Dylan to a new home in Canada to start your own flock, but—"

At that moment, Little One started to cry from the other room. I didn't know how the kid did it, but he always seemed to know just when to cry. I smiled to myself.

"What is that?" Dr. GH demanded. I could sense Max brisling defensively.

"_That_," she repeated harshly, "is me starting my own flock."

It was quiet for a moment, and I guessed that Dr. Hagan was looking back and forth between Max and Fang. Finally, Max sighed.

"Yes, that means that Fang and I had a baby together," she said. "I'm sorry if you can't quite get it though that thick, German skull, but that's just what happens. Okay?"

"Well," Dr. Gunther-Hagan said finally, "there's no point wasting a perfectly good house. You are free to live there, if you wish. It is in Canada, in Newfoundland outside of all population."

"So, like, on our own?" she asked.

"Yes, on your own," he confirmed.

"Then absolutely," Max said.

"Wonderful. Get your things together and be ready to leave by tomorrow morning," Dr. Gunther-Hagan said. I looked in Max's direction.

"What!"

"We're going. We need somewhere new. We've been here too long," Max said simply.

"But…" I tried to protest, but Max cut me off.

"Nope. We're going."

That afternoon, Max announced the plan to the others. I'm sure you can imagine how well that went. She had us all gathered in the living room under "flock meeting" rules (nobody is allowed to talk except Max). I was leaning against the wall, waiting for all hell to break loose.

"We're moving to a new house in Canada," Max declared finally. This was quickly followed by shouts of protest.

"I don't want to leave here!"

"What's wrong with this house!"

"I won't leave! You can't make me!"

"Guys!" Fang shouted finally. The room went silent. "One at a time."

Fang was much more reasonable than Max. Obviously, he would listen to why they didn't want to go.

"I like living with Ella and Dr. Martinez," Angel said firmly. "I even have some friends here! I don't want to move."

Gazzy went next. "I have friends here, too."

"I want to get a college education and actually do something with my life other than fly around on the run!" Nudge exclaimed. I knew everyone was looking at her. I would be.

"Nudge, you need to go to high school before college," Dr. M. said gently.

"Oh, she's got that," Ella put in. "She took all of her courses online. She did really well, too."

Max was obviously fuming. "Why didn't you tell anyone!" she demanded.

"I wanted to surprise you guys," Nudge explained.

"Okay, so Nudge is staying to go to school," Fang decided. "You two can make new friends in Canada."

"I don't wanna make new friends in Canada," Angel complained.

"Oh, come on, you guys!" Ella said enthusiastically. "You'll finally get the chance to fly around wherever you want, whenever you want without having to worry about anyone seeing you! It'll be great! You will love it there!"

There were mumbles of consideration. Finally, Angel and Gazzy agreed. We were sent to our rooms to pack our things. Ella came with me to help.

"I can't believe you're really going," she said softly. I continued packing.

"Me neither," I said. I closed my last suitcase and stood up, brushing my hands off. Suddenly, I was nearly knocked over by a strong force hitting me.

"Oh, Iggy!" Ella sobbed. I held her, confused. "D-don't leave me! I-I'll miss you so much!"

"I have to go," I said. "BossMax said so."

"So don't listen to her! Stay here with me!" she begged.

"I can't!" I moaned. "I would, but she doesn't listen. I don't want to leave either."

Ella's tears soaked my shirt. "P-please," she said. "I just…I'll miss you so much."

"I'll miss you, too," I said. "But…maybe it's time to move on."

Ella nodded, but she was still crying. I stood her back up, grabbed my bags (not that I had many), and carried them out to the front. Fang was packing things into Dr. GH's car. I could hear the _thunk_ of bags hitting the car floor.

"You ready to go?" Max asked, standing beside me. I nodded stiffly.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"Great." She grabbed my arm and led me out to the car. I had one foot in when somebody called "WAIT!"

I stopped. It was Ella. She ran into me, knocking me onto the pavement. I stood both of us back up.

"Ella?" I said. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Iggy! I'm going with you!" she shouted. "Mom said I can come to Canada with you guys!"

My sightless eyes widened. "No way," I said, suspecting she was setting me up.

"Really!" she said.

"Oh, my God! Ella! This is…this is great!" I couldn't help but shout. She crashed her mouth against mine and I accepted her happily.

Finally Max broke us up and shoved us in the car. We all waved goodbye to Dr. Martinez, promising we'd come and visit and whatnot, and then we were off to the next chapter in our life-long adventure.


End file.
